Gezicht op een kleine kamer in gotische stijl in het huis van J. vanden Peereboom in Anderlecht, België before 1898

This photographic print by G. Choppinet depicts a room in the residence of J. vanden Peereboom in Anderlecht, Belgium. The photograph is an objective record, but it also tells us about the cultural aspirations of its subject. The "gothic style" room, with its chandelier, ornamented cabinet and wooden panels, suggests a desire to connect to a medieval past, a past of religious certainties, and social hierarchies that gave way to modernity. The owner's interest in this particular style indicates a preference for a more ordered and structured world, perhaps as a reaction to the social changes and uncertainties of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Peereboom was a minister, and the gothic room indexes the conservative tastes of the Belgian political elite. Art historical research uses sources like domestic inventories to provide context for understanding the cultural and social meanings embedded in works like this. By examining those contexts, we can reveal the historical forces that shaped both the creation and reception of art.