Departure of King Wilhelm I for the Army, July 31, 1870

Painted in 1871 and held in the Alte Nationalgalerie, 'Departure of King Wilhelm I for the Army, July 31, 1870' documents a specific historical moment: the departure of the Prussian king from Berlin at the outset of the Franco-Prussian War, which would result in German victory, the siege of Paris, and the proclamation of the German Empire at Versailles in January 1871. Menzel witnessed the departure firsthand and sketched the scene directly, making this one of his most immediate historical works — contemporary reportage rather than retrospective reconstruction. The painting captures the mood of August 1870: nationalistic fervour, royal ceremony, and the specific visual character of a Prussian mobilisation. The completed painting, like much of his work, entered the Nationalgalerie collection.

Menzel renders the crowd scene of departure with the rapid, observational fluency of a painter working from direct experience rather than historical reconstruction. The spatial compression of a Berlin street crowded with participants is resolved through tonal variation suggesting depth.