Frankfurt am Main, 1911
A Color Illustration
The Grand Hotel Frankfurter Hof opened in 1876. By 1911, when this postcard was printed, it was one of the most prestigious establishments in Germany — a lodging for emperors, politicians, and celebrities of the nascent twentieth century. The hotel was among the first to use electric lighting and had Frankfurt's first telephone line.
The Urban Scene
The Street in 1911
A Tin Lizzie (Ford Model T), another car of an unidentified model, a horse-drawn carriage, and many passersby in elegant dress. A scene that could easily be mistaken for Paris or New York.
From 1911 to 2015
The Connection to the Present
Without flowers adorning the façade, the building seems to have lost its color.
Epizentrum, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Reverse
Where the Person Meets the Object
We stayed here on May 28 and 29, 1911. We had the first-floor apartment, comprising the sitting room, 3 bedrooms and the bathroom, plus a separate room for Marta and Manuela. Price: 84 marks; without meals, 59 marks.