Festschrift gewidmet von der Gasanstalt Strassburg der XXXI. Jahresversammlung des deutschen Vereins von Gas- und Wasserfachmännern Strassburg 1891 1891

This is the title page of a "Festschrift," or celebratory publication, dedicated in 1891 by the Strassburg Gas Company to the 31st annual meeting of the German Association of Gas and Water Experts. It was printed by J.H. Ed. Heitz. Located in Alsace-Lorraine, Strassburg, now Strasbourg, had been annexed by Germany just two decades earlier, following the Franco-Prussian War. The Gas Company here is publicly celebrating a specifically "German" Association and affirming German technological expertise in a city with strong French cultural ties. The Gothic typeface also speaks to German cultural identity, while the dedication suggests the close relationship between industry and technical expertise in Imperial Germany. Understanding the social life of such an artifact requires careful historical research, looking at the cultural politics of the German Empire and the history of technology and industry in the region.