Dating from circa 1885, this original panoramic print presents the remarkable view from Rigi Kulm, the celebrated Swiss summit rising approximately 1,800 metres above sea level. Based on Heinrich Keller’s renowned Rigi panorama and engraved by C. Bertrand, the work combines precise topographical observation with the grandeur of nineteenth-century Alpine landscape art. The composition is divided into two complementary views. The larger upper panorama looks across the surrounding mountains, with the summit hotels prominently positioned in the foreground and an immense succession of Alpine peaks extending along the horizon. The lower section turns towards the Swiss lakes and plateau, completing the impression of a nearly continuous view from the summit. Numerous mountains, valleys, lakes and settlements are carefully identified throughout the image. These annotations allowed travellers to recognise the distant landscape while also giving the print the character of a scientific and geographical document. Bertrand’s delicate engraved lines create depth across the overlapping ridges and reproduce the complexity of the terrain with impressive clarity. Rigi Kulm was one of the earliest major destinations of Swiss mountain tourism. Its first summit guesthouse opened in 1816, while the arrival of Europe’s first mountain railway in 1871 made the panoramic viewpoint accessible to a much wider international public. By the 1880s, its grand hotels and celebrated views had become symbols of the golden age of Alpine travel. With its exceptionally wide format, detailed topography and connection to the development of Swiss tourism, this original panorama will appeal to collectors of Alpine imagery, antique travel prints, mountaineering history and nineteenth-century geographical works. It is both an evocative decorative piece and a fascinating record of how travellers first discovered the Swiss Alps. Original Poster Switzerland - Alps Rigi Kaltbad - Lucerne Good condition, traces of folds
