Beethoven beim Spaziergang - Reproduktion einer anonymen Zeichnung nach einer gravierten Silberplatte von Joseph Daniel Böhm

In the winter of 1819/1820, the Viennese sculptor and medal maker Joseph Daniel Böhm was one of Ludwig van Beethoven's acquaintances and the composer mentioned him in his conversation books. During that time, probably two small depictions had been created showing Beethoven walking on the street. They are very lively and comply with the description of Beethoven, which Gerhard von Breuning published in 1874 in his book about Beethoven.

The book says: "The bowler hat, which was very common at that time and which he hanged on the very top of the coatrack when he came home even if the hat was wet from the rain and still dripping, since he tilted it out just lightly [...], as a result had lost a section in its lid and therefore was arched and wide-stretched to the top. [...] He usually wore the hat in a manner that showed his front and did not hide his face. As Rellstab says right to the point, "his grey hair, which were neither frizzy nor rigid, but a mixture of both, were flying out at both sides of the hat [...] The coattails however, had been rather heavily loaded, because there was not only a handkerchief which was often hanging out of the coattail, but also a folded fourth notebook for his compositions, which was not thin at all, as well as an octavos conversation book with a thick pencil like those which carpenters often use. He used this conversation book like a calendar and notebook for meetings with acquaintances and friends."(S.B.)