Internationale Tuinbouwtentoonstelling in Keulen in 1875 1875

This is Anselm Schmitz’s 1875 photograph of the Internationale Tuinbouwtentoonstelling in Cologne. The image captures the glass and iron architecture of the exhibition hall, reflected in the still water, punctuated by small boats and lush greenery. Held during a period of rapid industrialization and urbanization, the International Horticultural Exhibition was more than just a display of plants; it was a demonstration of Germany’s rising power. These exhibitions were a spectacle of progress, a chance to showcase technological and economic achievements to an international audience. The Horticultural Exhibition created a space where notions of national identity were cultivated alongside exotic plants. But, who really benefited from this progress? The working classes, who toiled in factories and fields, often found themselves excluded from the beauty and leisure on display. Schmitz’s photograph invites us to reflect on the complex relationship between progress, power, and access during this transformative period in European history.