11 & 12. La Grand-Place, Brussels - 10 Sept 1900 | Glass Plates
I was a tad confused when first trying to find the location of these images. While most of the glass plates on the unknown photographer’s list were diligently noted down with both dates and locations, I could not find any reference to a “Palais Royal” in Antwerp; nor did any reference images of historical structures in Antwerp resemble the gothic palace pictured in photo number 11.
It didn’t seem possible that such a building would disappear with no reference online or on old maps, so I decided to broaden my search to include Brussels as Brussels was the only other city pictured in this first box of glass plates.
It did not take me long to find the answer.
Glass plate 11 is of the neo-Gothic style Maison du Roi, which has been home to the Brussels City Museum since 1887. Judging by the stalls in La Grand-Place, a historic cobbled square at the cultural heart of the city, it was a market day when this photo was taken.
On the left-hand side of glass plate 12 is the corner of the Hôtel de Ville, an original fifteenth-century Gothic landmark directly across the square from the Maison du Roi. Beside the Hôtel de Ville are the guildhalls, lining the north-west side of the square. The city’s guilds have lined La Grand Place since around 1421, but the buildings themselves had to be reconstructed following the 1695 bombardment of the city by the French during the Nine Years’ War.
To stand in La Grand-Place is to be immersed in Brussels’s long mercantile history, the wealth and vibrant culture of Belgium’s capital fully on display. Besides capturing the scale of the buildings around the square, what these glass plates demonstrate is the photographer’s interest in examples of historic architecture and their timeless majesty.
Project Update: Then and Now(ish)
It is time for a little project update.
I mentioned in an earlier post that this Glass Plates project is envisioned as an exploration of the places that are pictured in these over century-old photos with the intention to eventually rephotograph the locations as they appear today. Although these blog posts are a first step, the next is the planning of the trip itself. This trip was originally intended for 2020, a good dozen decades after the photos were first taken, but it had to be cancelled due to global events (if you recall, travel – and particularly international travel – was frowned upon at that time).
This is all being planned with my photographer collaborator, Aleksandar Nenad Zecevic, founder of Zeko Media, who had the chance to stop in Brussels to quickly photograph the Maison du Roi not too long ago (see below). Of course, more deliberate care will be taken to replicate the exact angles of the glass plates when the photographs are taken for the project, but this test shows how little this location has altered in over a century; only the vehicles and outfits have changed.
Back on Track
Fortunately, with all the tools available online (including reverse image searches), it was not too difficult to rediscover the subject of these two photos. Other than the images themselves, the fact they were listed the way they were seems to suggest a certain informal attitude to the list; probably because when it was written it was merely meant to pique the memory of the photographer. These were never made to be on display, they were simply holiday photos that age has made a novelty – the fascination coming from their survival, the then-and-now comparisons, historical research, and a touch of speculation.
In any case, before we had this slight detour back (or forward by date) to Brussels, we were in Antwerp, and we shall now return to that great trading city next time.
References
‘Background: The Origin of the Museum’, Brussels City Museum Website <https://www.brusselscitymuseum.brussels/en/the-museum/background>
1900 Glass Plates: This project explores a series of glass plates from the year 1900 with the eventual goal of travelling the same route as the photographer. It will be a varied journey that will stretch from simple blog posts examining each photo to videos and more. This project is in collaboration with photographer Aleksandar Nenad Zecevic, who’ll be restoring the photographs to bring out details dimmed by time. More to follow.
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