Café Heinrichhof
Medium
Color lithograph
Dimensions
Sheet: 5 11/16 × 3 11/16 in. (14.5 × 9.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Museum Accession, transferred from the Library
Accession Number
WW.486
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Café Heinrichhof captures a lively moment in Vienna’s vibrant café culture around 1912. Created by Moriz Jung for the Wiener Werkstätte, this small color lithograph portrays men and women gathered in a stylish restaurant setting, reflecting the social rituals of the era when cafés served as hubs for conversation, art, and intellectual exchange. The compact sheet, measuring just under six inches tall, hints at its possible use as a postcard or printed ephemera designed for everyday enjoyment. Jung’s association with the Wiener Werkstätte placed him within a pioneering Austrian design collective that championed modern aesthetics in graphic arts, furniture, and fashion. Their work blended clean lines and bold patterns with a playful spirit, moving away from ornate historicism toward functional beauty. As a color lithograph, the print allowed for vibrant, layered hues that brought energy to scenes of contemporary life, making art accessible beyond gallery walls. Today, this piece offers a charming glimpse into pre-war Viennese society and the Wiener Werkstätte’s lasting influence on 20th-century design. Its presence in the Metropolitan Museum’s collection highlights how such prints preserved fleeting moments of urban leisure with both charm and artistic innovation.
About the Artist
Moriz Jung|Wiener Werkstätte · 1885–1915
Austrian (born Czechoslovakia) Moravia 1885–1915 Manilowa (Carpathians)|