Vienna's mightiest Gothic spire claws the pale peach sky in this elegantly tinted early-twentieth-century view of the Stefanskirche — the beloved "Steffl" — seen from the south-west, its chevron-patterned polychrome tile roof a masterwork of medieval geometry that no amount of photographic tinting can diminish. The street-level bustle at the cathedral's base hints at the electric trams and horse-drawn commerce of pre-war Vienna. St. Stephen's Cathedral, begun in 1137 and rebuilt in High Gothic style from 1359, survived both the Ottoman sieges and Napoleon, only to be gutted by fire in the last days of World War II in 1945 — making pre-war postcard views like this one poignant historical documents as much as tourist keepsakes. The warm teal-to-salmon sky gradient and crisp halftone screen are signatures of the finest Viennese colour litho printing houses operating between roughly 1900 and 1918.