• The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg, c. 1850, as a framed print in an antique gold frame. An elderly scholar in a black tailcoat stands on a wooden library ladder, reading a book held close to his face, with a red book under his arm, below a gilded Metaphysik plaque and a green painted ceiling.
  • Close-up of The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg, c. 1850. The white-haired scholar peers at an open book held to his face, another book in his outstretched hand and a red leather volume tucked under his arm, against shelves of old books.
  • Carl Spitzweg artwork in a black frame on a paneled wall with a wooden floor
  • Carl Spitzweg artwork in a black frame on a wall with a dark wood floor
  • Close-up of the artwork print showing detail and rolled edge
  • Carl Spitzweg artwork in a black frame above a red dresser with a lamp
  • Artwork in a dark ornate frame surrounded by books, a globe, and a bust
  • Size guide showing various print sizes and ratios with a sofa for scale
  • Information about frame material, paper, and protective packaging details
  • Woman holding a rolled poster print on a city street
  • The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg, c. 1850, as a framed print in an antique gold frame. An elderly scholar in a black tailcoat stands on a wooden library ladder, reading a book held close to his face, with a red book under his arm, below a gilded Metaphysik plaque and a green painted ceiling.
  • Product video
  • Close-up of The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg, c. 1850. The white-haired scholar peers at an open book held to his face, another book in his outstretched hand and a red leather volume tucked under his arm, against shelves of old books.
  • Carl Spitzweg artwork in a black frame on a paneled wall with a wooden floor
  • Carl Spitzweg artwork in a black frame on a wall with a dark wood floor
  • Close-up of the artwork print showing detail and rolled edge
  • Carl Spitzweg artwork in a black frame above a red dresser with a lamp
  • Artwork in a dark ornate frame surrounded by books, a globe, and a bust
  • Size guide showing various print sizes and ratios with a sofa for scale
  • Information about frame material, paper, and protective packaging details
  • Woman holding a rolled poster print on a city street
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The Bookworm Print, Carl Spitzweg 1850 Library Wall Art, Dark Academia Poster

Item highlights

  • Made to order

Seller's description

He climbed the ladder for one book. Now he holds four, and he has no plans to come down.

A fine art print of The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg, library wall art for a dark academia study.

ABOUT THE PAINTING
Carl Spitzweg painted The Bookworm around 1850. An elderly scholar stands at the top of a library ladder, a book pressed to his nose, another under his arm and a third wedged between his knees. Look closely at the gilded plaque above the shelves. It reads Metaphysik, the study of being itself. He is lost in the biggest questions of all, high above a floor we never see.

Spitzweg trained as a pharmacist and taught himself to paint by copying the Flemish masters. His gentle humour made him the great painter of the German Biedermeier age. He painted this scene three times. The first version sold in Vienna in 1852 and hangs today in the Museum Georg Schäfer in Schweinfurt. Another spent decades in Milwaukee's public library.

THE LOOK
Warm gold light on rows of old spines, deep green ceiling, a black coat and a pale face. Quiet, witty and full of books. Moody wall art for a home library, a reading room or a dark academia study. Lovely dark academia decor above a bookcase.

GIFTING
A thoughtful gift for a housewarming, a birthday, a graduation or a new home library. A painting about losing yourself in a book.

MORE
More in our Library and Book Lover collection: Thorvald Boeck's Library by Harriet Backer and In the Library by Auguste Toulmouche. For more old books, see Still Life with Books by Jan Lievens in our Gothic and Memento Mori collection.

THE PRINT
A fine art reproduction of the original painting on 200gsm matte paper. Rich colour, no glare.

Sizes: A5, A4, A3 and A2, plus 12x16 and 18x24 inches. Custom sizes on request. Frames: black, white or oak, or unframed.

Printed locally in the UK, Europe, the US, Canada and Australia, at the location closest to you. Free tracked shipping, no customs fees.

Please note: each print is reproduced from a museum photograph of the original painting. Larger sizes show the canvas weave, brushwork and age cracks up close, details not visible in these photos or smaller prints. Like the painting itself, it is best viewed from a short distance.

REAL ART, NOT AI
Every print in our shop starts with a real painting from a museum collection or public archive. We research each work and prepare the file for print. We never sell AI-generated art.

PRINT QUALITY
200gsm matte paper. Archival, fade-resistant inks. Sharp detail and deep colour.

SIZES
A5: 148 x 210 mm (5.8 x 8.3 in)
A4: 210 x 297 mm (8.3 x 11.7 in)
A3: 297 x 420 mm (11.7 x 16.5 in)
A2: 420 x 594 mm (16.5 x 23.4 in)
12 x 16 in (30 x 40 cm)
18 x 24 in (45 x 60 cm)
Need a size to fit an existing frame? Message us for a custom print.

FRAMING
Unframed, or framed and ready to hang. Frames in black, white and oak.

DELIVERY
Unframed prints ship rolled in a postal tube. Framed prints ship flat and protected. Every order ships tracked to the UK, US, EU, Canada, Australia and worldwide.

QUESTIONS
Message us about sizing, framing or custom orders. We reply within a few hours.

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Price:$22.36+

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Shipping & return policies
  • Get it by
    Nov 4-12
  • Cost to ship
    FREE to United States, 43215.

Seller's description

Specifications

The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg, c. 1850, as a framed print in an antique gold frame. An elderly scholar in a black tailcoat stands on a wooden library ladder, reading a book held close to his face, with a red book under his arm, below a gilded Metaphysik plaque and a green painted ceiling.

He climbed the ladder for one book. Now he holds four, and he has no plans to come down.

A fine art print of The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg, library wall art for a dark academia study.

ABOUT THE PAINTING
Carl Spitzweg painted The Bookworm around 1850. An elderly scholar stands at the top of a library ladder, a book pressed to his nose, another under his arm and a third wedged between his knees. Look closely at the gilded plaque above the shelves. It reads Metaphysik, the study of being itself. He is lost in the biggest questions of all, high above a floor we never see.

Spitzweg trained as a pharmacist and taught himself to paint by copying the Flemish masters. His gentle humour made him the great painter of the German Biedermeier age. He painted this scene three times. The first version sold in Vienna in 1852 and hangs today in the Museum Georg Schäfer in Schweinfurt. Another spent decades in Milwaukee's public library.

THE LOOK
Warm gold light on rows of old spines, deep green ceiling, a black coat and a pale face. Quiet, witty and full of books. Moody wall art for a home library, a reading room or a dark academia study. Lovely dark academia decor above a bookcase.

GIFTING
A thoughtful gift for a housewarming, a birthday, a graduation or a new home library. A painting about losing yourself in a book.

MORE
More in our Library and Book Lover collection: Thorvald Boeck's Library by Harriet Backer and In the Library by Auguste Toulmouche. For more old books, see Still Life with Books by Jan Lievens in our Gothic and Memento Mori collection.

THE PRINT
A fine art reproduction of the original painting on 200gsm matte paper. Rich colour, no glare.

Sizes: A5, A4, A3 and A2, plus 12x16 and 18x24 inches. Custom sizes on request. Frames: black, white or oak, or unframed.

Printed locally in the UK, Europe, the US, Canada and Australia, at the location closest to you. Free tracked shipping, no customs fees.

Please note: each print is reproduced from a museum photograph of the original painting. Larger sizes show the canvas weave, brushwork and age cracks up close, details not visible in these photos or smaller prints. Like the painting itself, it is best viewed from a short distance.

REAL ART, NOT AI
Every print in our shop starts with a real painting from a museum collection or public archive. We research each work and prepare the file for print. We never sell AI-generated art.

PRINT QUALITY
200gsm matte paper. Archival, fade-resistant inks. Sharp detail and deep colour.

SIZES
A5: 148 x 210 mm (5.8 x 8.3 in)
A4: 210 x 297 mm (8.3 x 11.7 in)
A3: 297 x 420 mm (11.7 x 16.5 in)
A2: 420 x 594 mm (16.5 x 23.4 in)
12 x 16 in (30 x 40 cm)
18 x 24 in (45 x 60 cm)
Need a size to fit an existing frame? Message us for a custom print.

FRAMING
Unframed, or framed and ready to hang. Frames in black, white and oak.

DELIVERY
Unframed prints ship rolled in a postal tube. Framed prints ship flat and protected. Every order ships tracked to the UK, US, EU, Canada, Australia and worldwide.

QUESTIONS
Message us about sizing, framing or custom orders. We reply within a few hours.

TheDarkAcademiaStore made this item with help from
PrintShrimp, United Kingdom

Delivery details and policies

  • Get it by
    Nov 4-12
  • Returns and exchanges
    Not accepted
  • Ships from
    United Kingdom
  • Cost to ship
    FREE to United States, 43215

    There was a problem calculating your shipping. Please try again.

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Meet your seller

TheDarkAcademiaStore
The Dark Academia Store
TheDarkAcademiaStore ·

London, United Kingdom

We calculate this number using a recency-weighted average of all ratings, with a rating's value decreasing by half each year to best reflect the current experience. 5.0
·
10 sales
·
1 year on Etsy

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Listed on Oct 27, 2026
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