- The first decades of the century are known in European history as the Belle Époque, a beautiful era that was a time of relative peace, prosperity, and renewal. Stylistically, the period is known as Art Nouveau, explains exhibition researcher Antti Liuttunen.
In Tampere, too, the city skyline changed, industry grew, and the intellectual climate was in turmoil, but everyday life went on at its own pace in the wooden-house neighbourhoods and factory yards.
- The exhibition explores Tampere by neighbourhood, showcasing their environments, buildings, and residents, Liuttunen explains.
- At the same time, it highlights interesting events, phenomena, and people that we may find exciting parallels with.
The exhibition’s content is extensive and diverse. While photographs are the main focus, the exhibition space also features two recreated interiors: one depicting a living room of the upper classes and the other a working-class apartment. The objects on display come from the collections of Tampere’s historical museums.
- There is no one left who saw with their own eyes what Tampere was like in the early 20th century. It is truly a world that has passed, says Liuttunen.
Photographs, however, can break the grip of time.
- Photographs are concrete evidence of the past; through them, we can observe street scenes, industrial facilities, and the everyday lives of city residents. The photograph is a superior recorder of the past, Liuttunen notes.
The exhibition features hundreds of photographs that offer a representative cross-section of Tampere’s historical imagery. The Vapriikki image archive contains a large number of photographs of Tampere from the early 20th century, captured by both professionals and amateurs, resulting from the systematic archiving efforts of various memorial organizations, or collected in family albums. The exhibition features the most beloved images, many of which are already familiar to visitors, but also includes numerous rarities and even previously unseen photographs.
- William Lomax, Arthur Laurent, Axel Tammelander, Ida Nyman, Werner Gestrin, Juho Holmstén-Heiniö, Gustin Lojander, Eino Bergius, and others. Tampere was home not only to professional photographers but also to many skilled and active amateurs, explains Liuttunen.
The exhibition is openly nostalgic but also entertaining and even dramatic. The presentation is visually striking. The photographs tell the story of a city that grew and changed yet retained its own character and sense of community.
- We want to offer museum visitors not only a comprehensive and interesting package of information, but also an aesthetic experience—a chance to be enchanted by old Tampere through incredibly beautiful photographs, says Liuttunen.
- Furthermore, the exhibition serves as a reminder that once something is lost, it can never be regained.
