Terras van restaurant Savoye tijdens de wereldtentoonstelling te Antwerpen 1894

Th. Lantin made this photograph of the Restaurant Savoye terrace at the Antwerp World Fair in 1894. World’s fairs were staged to display national prestige, trade, and technological advancement. But they also put social inequalities on display. This image reveals the racial and class divisions within the host nation, Belgium. The city of Antwerp was booming in the late 19th century, as King Leopold II pillaged the Congo Free State to extract rubber, ivory, and minerals. The World Fair was intended to promote an image of Belgian civilization, progress, and prosperity. Here, fairgoers relax at an elegant restaurant. In the background, we see the park where the colonial exhibition took place, in which Congolese people were put on display. We might ask: who was welcome at the Restaurant Savoye? Who was excluded? By consulting archives and newspapers, we can explore these questions further. The image reminds us that the history of art is always linked to the history of society.