Page - 89 - in Die Repräsentation der Habsburg-Lothringischen Dynastie in Musik, visuellen Medien und Architektur - 1618–1918

The Absent Empress 89 lap and Gisela leans upon his chair. Franz Joseph’s arms extend around both children, his hands appearing at their waists in a warm embrace. Signs of this tenderness between father and children have been erased from the photomontage. Franz Joseph now stands at a considerable distance from his children, and Elisabeth replaces his position as their guardian. Whereas the photographed Ru- dolf wore the skirts of a small child, this Rudolf duplicates his father’s military ap- parel, even surpassing it by wearing a cavalier cap. Gisela also abandons the presence of her parent in order to stand beside Rudolf. Emilie von Arthaber holds a doll, but Gisela drops her toy to lean supportively upon her brother. These modifications transform the interpersonal dynamic of the image. In his 1902 study of Dutch group Figure 7: Friedrich von Amerling, Rudolf von Arthaber and his Children Rudolf, Emilie, and Gustav, 1837, oil on canvas.