View of the Bridge of Peage at Interlachen

Medium: Lithograph

Artist: A. Aglio

Engraver: N. Chater & Co.

Dated: c. 1830

Image Dimensions: 10¼" x 7½" (26.04cm x 19.05cm)

Price: £65.00

This image is a hand-colored lithograph titled “View of the Bridge of Peage at Interlachen (Canton of Bern)”, published in London around 1822–1823.

The Collaboration

Similar to the previous prints, this work was a collaboration between a prominent European landscape artist and a specialized London publishing firm to satisfy the early 19th-century British fascination with romantic foreign travel scenery:

Agostino Aglio (“A. Aglio del.”): An Italian-born painter, lithographer, and decorator who traveled extensively. He drew this picturesque view from nature (delineavit), capturing the dramatic Swiss mountains, the tranquil Aare River, and local figures in regional attire relaxing in the foreground.
N. Chater & Co. (“N. Chater & Co. Lithog.”): A prominent London-based printing house that specialized in the early, pioneering days of commercial lithography. They transferred Aglio’s drawing onto lithographic limestone and printed the editions.

Historical Significance

This print captures a landmark in Interlaken, Switzerland during the rise of the European “Grand Tour.” It depicts the historic wooden covered bridge over the River Aare, which functioned as a pont de péage (toll bridge). The structure served as a vital transport and trade link connecting the local communities around the lakes of Thun and Brienz.

Visible on the hilltop in the central background are the ruins of Unspunnen Castle (Burg Unspunnen). This fortress had recently become famous throughout Europe because of the Unspunnen Festivals of 1805 and 1808. These festivals were explicitly organized to celebrate Swiss heritage, traditional alpine sports, and pastoral peace after the chaos of the Napoleonic Wars.