Kamer met schoorsteenmantel in de oude prefectuur in Luik, België before 1884

This is a photograph of a room with a mantelpiece in the old prefecture in Liège, Belgium, made by an anonymous artist. The image captures a moment in time but also reflects the complex social hierarchies of the era. The perfection and symmetry of the decor speak to the values of the elite class, for whom such spaces were designed and maintained. Yet, the photograph also hints at the labor and resources required to create such opulence. Consider the identities and stories of those absent from this image: the workers, artisans, and servants whose efforts made possible the room’s existence. The austere black and white tones filter the space through a lens of memory. What does it mean to preserve the past? Whose stories are told, and whose are left out? This photograph is a reflection on our relationship to history and to the spaces we inherit, physically and culturally.