Egon Schiele with Two Acquaintances (Springer, F.?) in Krumau, undated

Three young gentlemen, to the left Egon Schiele (1890–1918) at barely ten years of age, are seated on a stone step outside. A handwritten note on the reverse side of the photograph suggests that the shot was taken in Krumau. The identity of Schiele’s two friends is unknown. All of them are wearing hats and are smoking. Whether Schiele only held the cigarette for the photo, or whether he actually smoked, cannot be ascertained. Krumau was the birthplace and hometown of Schiele’s mother Marie, née Soukup (1862–1935). After several visits and stays in the Southern Bohemian town, the artist could imagine living there. In May 1911, he moved to Krumau with his then-partner Walburga “Wally” Neuzil (1894–1917), renting a house with a garden. His initial joy about being able to live and work there soon turned sour, however, when the city’s conservative inhabitants – likely on account of his “concubinage” with Wally, his unusual appearance and modern, unconventional art – forced Schiele to return to Vienna.

KJ, 2024