Gezicht op Lac de Fischboedle before 1894

Charles Bernhoeft captured this image of Lac de Fischboedle in Luxembourg using a photographic process. Bernhoeft, a court photographer, lived during a time of shifting cultural identities in Luxembourg, which was experiencing economic change and industrial development. This black and white photograph, typical of the time, presents an interesting view on gender and class. Notice the woman on the right; she is still and silent in the landscape, yet her presence invites questions about women’s roles in leisure and labor during this period. How might her experience of the lake differ from those who owned land or managed resources? As an early example of landscape photography, this image is not just a depiction of nature, but also a reflection of societal structures and individual stories, where silence speaks volumes.