First published in Vienna in 1887, Photographische Rundschau was among the earliest journals created for amateur photographers. It quickly became a leading international forum for pictorialism—the movement that championed photography as an art form on par with painting. Under editors such as Ernst Juhl and Dr. Richard Neuhauss, the journal promoted a new aesthetic vision and introduced readers to the work of groundbreaking photographers, including the young American Edward Steichen.

A hallmark of the Rundschau was its lavish use of photogravure. From the mid-1890s onward, each issue featured a large photogravure plate, printed with exceptional craftsmanship. These spare-no-expense hand-pulled photogravures allowed readers to experience photographs of the highest richness and subtlety, advancing their artistic value.

Across its shifting formats and editors, Photographische Rundschau documented photography’s transformation at the turn of the twentieth century, when questions of art, science, and modern life were vigorously debated. Today it stands as a crucial record of photography’s rise as a creative practice as well as a powerful advocate for photography’s recognition as an art.

Friedrich Behrens was a German photographer active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Though not widely documented in mainstream art history, he is known through surviving prints and references in early photographic journals. Behrens participated in exhibitions and was recognized for his contributions to the pictorialist movement, which emphasized artistic expression and aesthetics in photography over mere documentation. Photographic journals such as "Photographische Mitteilungen" and "Photographische Rundschau" occasionally featured his work, highlighting his skill in composition and tonal control. Like many pictorialists of his time, Behrens employed techniques such as gum bichromate and photogravure to achieve painterly effects in his images.His subjects varied, ranging from serene landscapes to evocative portraits, often imbued with a soft-focus, atmospheric quality that was characteristic of the pictorialist style. Though few of his prints are held in major public collections today, collectors and photographic historians continue to value Behrens’s work for its craftsmanship and its place within the evolution of fine art photography in Germany. Despite the limited biographical information available, Friedrich Behrens’s surviving works and exhibition records provide insight into a dedicated artist who contributed to the rich tapestry of early photographic art. (photoseed)