This large-scale painting is called "The Apotheosis of Kaiser William the First". It was created in the year of the emperors’ death to celebrate Prussias’ victory over France in 1871 and the empires’ foundation. "Apotheosis" refers to the idea that a person can obtain a godlike status. This concept is rooted in Classical antiquity. It is used in art to highlight the significance of a person or a historical moment. This painting by Ferdinand Keller depicts a triumphal procession of William the First through Berlin. It is full of symbols: Angels carry the imperial crown and a virgin hands over a laurel wreath. What is your impression of the painting? Nowadays this depiction of an emperor as a demigod strikes us as strange. But at the end of the 19th century there was a growing emperor worship in Germany. Numerous imperial monuments were erected. This was strongly facilitated by William the Second. He used the memory of his father to present himself as the successor of a glorious dynasty.