Else Wachenheimer-Moos en haar echtgenoot Eugen Wachenheimer tijdens een uitstapje met de auto in de natuur, 1927, Bulgarije 1927

This is a page from a photo album, showing Else Wachenheimer-Moos and her husband Eugen Wachenheimer on a car trip in Bulgaria, around 1927. The images offer us a snapshot into the lives of an affluent, probably German-Jewish family in interwar Europe. The automobile itself is central. It speaks to modernity, technology, and the freedom of movement enjoyed by a certain social class. Bulgaria in the 1920s was undergoing significant transformation, modernizing while also dealing with political instability. Who could afford the leisure time and resources for such excursions, and what was their place in Bulgarian society? Family albums present an idealized version of reality. As historians, we can unpack these images by researching the Wachenheimer family, the history of Jewish communities in Bulgaria, and the impact of modernization on daily life. These photographs are more than personal mementos; they are artifacts of a specific time and place.