This is a historic carte de visite (CDV), a popular style of small photograph mounted on card stock during the 19th century.The front features an early photograph of the Altes Museum (Old Museum) in Berlin, Germany. The Neoclassical Facade: The card reads \"Berlin\" at the top and \"Das Alte Museum\" at the bottom, marked with the catalog or series number 36.The back of the card features a detailed handwritten cursive description in English that acts as a historical guide to the building\'s architecture and surroundings.
A complete transcription of the handwriting reveals:
\"The Old Museum\", Berlin; erected by Schinkel, under Frederic Wm. III; foundation laid in 1824; building completed 1828. The Equestrian statue to the left is that of Fred. Wm. III by A. Wolff, inaugurated June 16, 1871, during the feat [festival] celebrating the victories over the French. The huge granite basin in front of the steps, 22 ft. in diam., & 75 tons in weight, was sawn out of a solid erratic block of ten times the weight found near Fürstenwalde. The central part of the building, rising above the rest, has four colossal groups in bronze at its corners; in front \"The Horse-tamers\" of the Monte Cavallo at Rome, a copy by [Stauch]; at the back, Pegasus repeated & caressed by the Horæ, by Schievelbein & Hagen. On the right of the steps is an Amazon on horseback defending herself against a tiger, by Kiss; on the left a Lion Combat, by A. Wolff. The building is near 95 yds (94.82) long; 58.465 yds wide; its height (including the steps) is near 86 ft (85.529); the Ionic columns are 41 ft. (41.1880) high & above 4 ½ ft in diam. (4.633740). The whole building covers an area of over 50,000 sq. ft.The text explicitly mentions the inauguration of Albert Wolff\'s equestrian statue of Frederick William III on June 16, 1871. Because the writer refers to this statue, the card or the handwriting itself must date to 1871 or later.
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