Die lustigen Weiber von Berlin
Die lustigen Weiber von Berlin (“The Merry Wives of Berlin”) is an opera by Felix Meyer from 1850, borrowing its title from the Shakespeare play. I haven’t seen the interior of this booklet, but judging from the mention of “66 plates” and other works by the publisher, it probably has nothing to do with either, and might rather be an album of humorous and/or erotic images. It was printed sometime before 1913: by that year, Dr. Eysler & Co. had moved from Berlin SW 12 to SW 48.
The cover is by Julius Klinger (1876–1942). The Austrian graphic artist (and occasional typeface designer) was based in Berlin from 1897 to 1915. Compare the design including the textile pattern to his poster advertising Künstlerplakate by Hollerbaum & Schmidt. The latter is from 1912, according to Poster Merchant. Other sources like the MK&G Hamburg date that poster to “ca. 1900”, but that strikes me as early. In any case, the typefaces are older: Gronau’s Reclame-Cursiv is from 1893, and Zeitungs-Grotesque goes back to around 1874.
