Publieke stadstuin in Menton c. 1886 - 1896

Henry Pauw van Wieldrecht captured this photograph of a public garden in Menton. The image offers a snapshot of leisure and social interaction during a time of significant transformation in European society. Consider the implications of a 'public' space in the late 19th century. Who had access? Who felt welcome? The women in their long dresses and the men in their suits represent a certain class, whose lives were being shaped by the rigid societal norms of the era. The garden becomes a stage where one performs their gender and class. The artist does not offer a critique but rather presents the garden as it exists, embedding within the image the unspoken rules and the silent boundaries that defined the space. In viewing this photograph, we might reflect on the emotional and personal dimensions of belonging and exclusion.