The common resources for studying historic homes offer staged and idealized representations of interiors which reveal little about how these spaces were inhabited and by whom. With a rather limited scope of sources available for reliable images of “real,” vernacular home environments, I advocate for the use of forensic photography and files in interior design historical research to broaden our image and understanding of such modes of living. As a case study, I examine, by close inspection and visual analysis, 40 crime cases from the Belgian provinces of Antwerp and East-Flanders, recorded between 1929 and 1937, containing interior photographs, floor plans, and judicial reports. The sample spans different social strata and building types, living circumstances, and locations—urban, suburban, and rural, demonstrating how many of the people in that era lived in old(er) houses, deprived of the newest sanitary, heating, and lighting amenities. It attests to the passing down over generations of rugs, furniture, utensils and decorative objects, and the randomness of their presence, with traces of gradual modernization, from washing machines to radios, club seats, and fashionable wallpapers. Forensic photographs offer a nonstaged representation of reality. Thus, they provide a reality check, showing how mainstream interiors were really used and how they evolved over a period of time.

中文翻译：

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作为证人的内部：法医档案捕获的佛兰德斯的两次世界大战期间内部

研究历史住宅的公共资源提供了分阶段的和理想化的室内装饰，但很少揭示这些空间是如何居住的以及由谁居住。由于可用于“真实”乡土家庭环境的可靠图像的资源范围相当有限，我提倡在室内设计历史研究中使用法医摄影和文件，以拓宽我们对这种生活方式的形象和理解。作为案例研究，我通过仔细检查和视觉分析，检查了 1929 年至 1937 年间记录在案的比利时安特卫普省和东佛兰德省的 40 起犯罪案件，其中包括内部照片、平面图和司法报告。样本跨越不同的社会阶层和建筑类型、生活环境和地点——城市、郊区和农村，展示了那个时代有多少人住在老房子里，没有最新的卫生、供暖和照明设施。它证明了地毯、家具、器具和装饰物的代代相传，以及它们存在的随机性，以及逐渐现代化的痕迹，从洗衣机到收音机、俱乐部座椅和时尚壁纸。法医照片提供了对现实的非舞台表现。因此，它们提供了一个现实检查，展示了主流室内设计是如何被真正使用的，以及它们是如何在一段时间内演变的。从洗衣机到收音机、俱乐部座椅和时尚壁纸。法医照片提供了对现实的非舞台表现。因此，它们提供了一个现实检查，展示了主流室内设计是如何被真正使用的，以及它们是如何在一段时间内演变的。从洗衣机到收音机、俱乐部座椅和时尚壁纸。法医照片提供了对现实的非舞台表现。因此，它们提供了一个现实检查，展示了主流室内设计是如何被真正使用的，以及它们是如何在一段时间内演变的。