Gezicht op een huis op de Wereldtentoonstelling van Antwerpen in 1894 1894

Charles Bernhoeft took this photograph of a building at the Antwerp World Fair in 1894. World Fairs were important sites for celebrating national achievements in art, architecture, and industry. This image gives us some insight into the cultural and economic ambitions of the time. We see what appears to be a large, ornate building, probably an exhibition hall for the fair, alongside a more modest, half-timbered house. The juxtaposition of these two buildings, together with their relationship to the winding pathway, seems to suggest an evolution of style. The photograph can be considered as a document of cultural and institutional history, a record of what was considered important at the time. By looking at images like this, alongside period publications like trade journals and exhibition catalogues, we can understand how ideas of progress were promoted, and how a country like Belgium saw itself in relation to the rest of the world.