Stadhuis van Mulhouse before 1894

This is Charles Bernhoeft's photograph of the Stadhuis van Mulhouse, a formal civic building of considerable size and imposing architecture. Bernhoeft was active during a period of significant political shifts in the region. Mulhouse, located in Alsace, experienced tensions due to its position between France and Germany. Throughout Bernhoeft’s career, the area's identity was highly contested, reflecting the shifting borders and nationalistic sentiments of the era. His photographs captured the architecture and daily life of the region during a period of cultural and political change. Bernhoeft documented both the grand structures and the everyday experiences of people living in a region marked by shifting national allegiances. Bernhoeft does not explicitly engage with these political tensions, instead, his work offers a window into a specific time, inviting us to consider questions of identity, heritage, and belonging.