Interieur van restaurant met gedekte tafels after 1870

This is a photograph by Romedo Guler, showing the interior of a restaurant with set tables. It was taken in Switzerland sometime in the late 19th century. The image speaks to the rise of tourism and the growth of a leisure class during this period. The grand dining room, with its carefully arranged tables, hints at a culture of luxury and exclusivity. We might consider how the railways and hotels of the time facilitated new kinds of social interactions, where wealthy individuals could meet from different places. Guler worked in Zurich and St. Moritz, both popular destinations for the upper classes, and photography played a key role in promoting these places. Images like these helped to shape perceptions and desires, attracting visitors and reinforcing the social hierarchies of the time. To understand this image more fully, we might consult period travel guides, hotel archives, or social histories. Art, after all, is always embedded in its particular social and institutional contexts.