Bridgend gezelschap op een terras in Scheveningen 1932

This photograph, taken in Scheveningen, presents a group engaged in a game of bridge on a terrace. The image, likely from the early to mid-20th century, is an intriguing visual document of leisure and social interaction. The photograph is more than just a record of a card game. It provides a window into the social customs and class dynamics of its time. The setting, a terrace in Scheveningen, a Dutch seaside resort, suggests a context of leisure and affluence. What we see is a depiction of bourgeois life, as people with the time and resources to engage in leisurely activities, in a specific place associated with recreation. To fully understand this image, we might consult social histories of leisure, fashion, and resort culture in the Netherlands. By situating this photograph within its specific social and institutional context, we can begin to appreciate its deeper cultural significance, and what playing bridge on a terrace in Scheveningen meant for the people portrayed, and the society in which they lived.