The Brothers Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm (1847)

The brothers Jakob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859) collected proverbs and myths and compiled an extensive dictionary of the German language. They are best known for their famous collection of fairy tales, whose second edition they prefaced with descriptions of various attributes of folk tradition. Jakob Grimm (left) made a particularly lasting contribution as the founder of ancient historical studies in Germany as well as Germanic linguistics and philology. He was also a delegate to the Frankfurt National Assembly in 1848. Top: daguerreotype by Hermann Biow, 1847; bottom: Wilhelm Grimm's handwriting,1850, the Grimm brothers' fairy tales, and their dictionary of the German language.

print version     return to image list

previous image      next image

© Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz