[The Kiosk, Zoological Gardens, Brussels] 1854 - 1856

Louis-Pierre-Théophile Dubois de Nehaut made this photograph of the Kiosk at the Zoological Gardens in Brussels. Consider the social role of these gardens in the 19th century, places of leisure and entertainment, but also sites for the display and study of nature, including human nature. The image evokes a sense of ordered calm, with rows of chairs neatly arranged before the bandstand. What kind of social order does this scene suggest? What kind of audience is expected? This photograph speaks to the rise of a particular kind of public culture in Europe, one that catered to the bourgeoisie. The zoological gardens, like museums, were institutions that shaped social behavior, they also reflected the values and ideologies of the dominant classes. To understand this image more fully, we would need to research the history of the Brussels Zoological Gardens, the social composition of its visitors, and the kinds of music performed in the kiosk. Only then can we grasp the full significance of this seemingly simple photograph.