The displaced persons in St Peter's Church

Several people have gathered around a standing man with his hands raised in supplication in St Peter's Church. The faces of those depicted are worried and serious, their clothing appears modest and makeshift. On the right in the background, behind a wooden barrier, military personnel can be recognised.

The scene depicts an event in December 1813, when French soldiers gathered a large part of Hamburg's poor population in the main churches in order to expel the needy from the city despite the winter cold.