The First French Church in Berlin

The image foregrounds the early Huguenot congregation that settled in Berlin, highlighting their religious autonomy and cultural imprint. By focusing on the unadorned church, Chodowiecki underscores the modest yet significant role of the French Protestant community in the city’s social landscape.

Executed as an etching, the work employs delicate incisions to render texture and depth, from the timber of the church to the surrounding façades. Chodowiecki’s precise line work and subtle tonal gradations create a sense of atmosphere, while the muted palette of black ink conveys the subdued mood of the scene.

Created during Chodowiecki’s long residence in Berlin, the print reflects his position as director of the Berlin Academy of Art and his reputation as a leading printmaker of his era. Copies of the etching entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where they remain accessible to scholars and the public.

At the close of the eighteenth century Berlin featured relatively few monumental edifices; the French church’s simple silhouette stood out against the modest cityscape. Its construction marked a tangible expression of the Huguenot diaspora’s integration into Prussian society, a theme frequently documented in contemporary visual sources.