The ninth International Geography Congress was held in Geneva, at the Palais de l’Athénée, during the summer of 1908. Invited to it were many scientists, travellers and politicians from different empires, accompanied by their wives who often played a central role in the men’s careers. It was the opportunity for the Confederation’s president, Ernst Brenner (1856-1911), to publicly assert Switzerland’s role in “civilizing” work. F. Rossinelli