Ludwig van Beethoven in den Straßen Wiens - Lithographie von Johann Peter Lyser nach einer eigenen Zeichnung, Hamburg, 1833

Johann Peter Lyser's depiction shows Ludwig van Beethoven on a walk in Vienna. It is based on different descriptions of Beethoven's friends and contemporaries. In 1827, Johann Sporschil for example, wrote an article in the Dresden evening paper, saying that Beethoven "was a rather short man", who most of the time did not care about his dress, and who wore "a hat with a form that was difficult to define". Further on, he wrote that on his walks, the composer "made short, percussive steps, touching the ground firmly but only swiftly" and that he hurried through the streets of Vienna that way and always disappeared around the corner as quickly as a flash.

Although Johann Peter Lyser had never seen Beethoven in person, he seemed to have successfully and accurately depicted Beethoven's figure and his way of walking. At least, this is what Gerhard von Breuning said, who was a close friend of the composer when he was a young boy and who knew very well how Beethoven looked like.(S.B.)