Description:
This book focuses on the architecture of embassies and their function as sceneries and instruments of diplomacy. It aims to discover and explain changing patterns of representation in relation to the development of the international system from 1800 to 1920. In the 19th century, the great powers entered into a competition for prestige, seeking distinction by eminent buildings, prominent architects and central placements, reconsidering the meanings and functions of diplomatic buildings. Architects, diplomats, governments and public opinion developed disparate ideas of architectural expression and functional requirements, representing controversial views about foreign politics and national identity. Being gradually transformed from exclusive aristocratic venues to semi-public spaces, the architectural modifications at embassy buildings reflect the changing tasks, practices and social background of diplomacy. Analysing these developments by comparing the embassy architecture of France, Great Britain and Germany over the course of a century, this study contributes to a cultural history of diplomacy with regard to the politics of representation and the transformation of the international system.