Date of use : 1946, Belgium

Gevaert Photo-Producten N.V.: Mortsel Manufacturer to Alfred Stevens, St. Niklaas-Waas

The Belgian company Gevaert Photo-Producten N.V., based in the Antwerp region, was one of Europe's important manufacturers of photographic films and light-sensitive materials. The commercial card examined here represents business correspondence sent from the firm's headquarters in Mortsel near Antwerp. The printed heading indicates that the company operated as a large incorporated enterprise with substantial capital and industrial production capacity. The factories established in Mortsel became well known for manufacturing photographic film and motion picture film materials.

The recipient of the correspondence is Nieuwe Fabrieken Alfred Stevens N.V., an industrial company located in St. Niklaas-Waas. Firms of this type were often involved in the processing or manufacturing of chemical and plastic-based industrial materials. The content of the letter responds to an inquiry concerning the supply of celluloid, a material historically used as a base for photographic and motion picture film.

The text explains that the sale of celluloid had been temporarily suspended. At the same time, the company expresses the expectation that an offer for the supply of triacetate celluloid could be made within a short period. Triacetate film base was developed as a safer alternative to the highly flammable nitrate film base that had previously been widely used in photography and cinema. This reference reflects a technological transition taking place in the materials used for photographic and cinematic film production.

The correspondence also notes that celluloid could only be supplied in limited quantities and in rolls of a specific width. Such limitations likely reflect the economic conditions prevailing in Europe after the Second World War. Industrial production and the distribution of chemical raw materials were subject to temporary shortages, requiring manufacturers to reorganize their supply networks.

Postal markings on the card indicate that it passed through the Belgian postal system and is dated 1946, a period when commercial correspondence and industrial communication were gradually being restored after the war. The use of a printed business card format illustrates how large companies standardized their corporate communication for routine business correspondence.

From a philatelic perspective the document belongs to the category of commercial and industrial correspondence. Its connection with the production of photographic film materials also makes it relevant for thematic collections related to the history of photography and photographic technology. The letter demonstrates that the photographic industry relied not only on optical equipment and cameras but also on complex chemical and plastics industries.

English Translation of the Reverse Side Text

---

Gentlemen,

In reply to your letter dated the 19th, we inform you that the sale of celluloid has been temporarily suspended. Nevertheless, we hope to be able within a few days to submit an offer for the delivery of triacetate celluloid, 0.19 mm thickness (non-flammable).

Celluloid is supplied only in limited quantities and exclusively in rolls 110 cm in width.

Yours faithfully,

Gevaert Photo-Producten N.V.

26 February 1946

Record Information

Title: Gevaert Photo-Producten N.V. Business Card (Mortsel to St. Niklaas-Waas)

Category: Photographic Film Industry / Commercial Correspondence

Subcategory: Chemical & Plastics Supply / Post-War Industrial Networks

Country: Belgium (Sender: Mortsel) → Belgium (Recipient: St. Niklaas-Waas)

City: Mortsel, Antwerp (Sender: Gevaert Photo-Producten N.V.) → St. Niklaas-Waas (Recipient: Nieuwe Fabrieken Alfred Stevens N.V.)

Date of use: 26 February 1946

Company (Sender): Gevaert Photo-Producten N.V., Mortsel (Antwerp), Belgium. A major European manufacturer of photographic films, motion picture film materials, and light-sensitive products.

Object Type: Commercial correspondence card (printed business stationery)

Postal Features: Belgian postage stamps; Mortsel postal cancellation (26 February 1946).

Language: French

Material: Paper (card stock)

Dimensions: Standard business card format

Collection Theme: Gevaert Photo-Producten, Mortsel photographic industry, Belgian chemical manufacturing, celluloid supply, triacetate film base, non-flammable film, Alfred Stevens, St. Niklaas-Waas, post-war industrial recovery, film base technology, nitrate vs. safety film, 1940s Belgian postal history.

Archival Significance: This 1946 business correspondence documents the supply of celluloid and triacetate film base materials between two Belgian industrial firms (Gevaert and Alfred Stevens), illustrating the post-war recovery of the photographic film industry and the technological transition from nitrate to safety film bases in Europe.

Research Note:

This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.

Date of use : 8 June 1957, Belgium

Belgian FDC Honoring Lieven Gevaert & Edouard Empain

This document is a commemorative postal card produced in Belgium featuring the portraits of two notable industrial figures: Lieven Gevaert (1868–1935) and Édouard Empain (1852–1929). A Belgian postage stamp appears at the center of the card together with a postal cancellation from Brussels dated 8 June 1957. Items of this type belong to the category of philatelic commemorative material, designed to honor individuals who played important roles in national industrial development. By placing the portraits of these two figures side by side, the design symbolically connects different sectors of Belgium's industrial history.

The figure depicted on the left side of the card, Lieven Gevaert, is closely associated with the development of the photographic materials industry. Gevaert founded the company that later became widely known for producing photographic plates and photographic chemicals. Established during a period when photographic technology was rapidly evolving, the company specialized in the production of light-sensitive photographic plates and eventually photographic films. Through these activities the enterprise became an important participant in the international market for photographic materials. The expansion of such industrial production contributed significantly to the broader dissemination of photography in scientific, commercial, and artistic contexts.

On the right side appears Édouard Empain, an influential Belgian industrialist and engineer. Empain became known for his involvement in large infrastructure projects, particularly in the development of electric transportation networks and railway enterprises. His investments contributed to the construction of tramway systems and other technological infrastructures in various regions. Although Empain's activities were not directly related to photographic manufacturing, technological advances in electrical engineering and urban infrastructure had indirect effects on photography. The expansion of electric power systems, for example, enabled the widespread use of artificial lighting in photographic studios.

Belgium emerged as a significant industrial center in Europe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Developments in chemistry, engineering, and industrial manufacturing created an environment in which specialized sectors such as photographic materials production could flourish. Within this context, entrepreneurs like Gevaert played a key role in establishing Belgium as an important contributor to the international photographic industry.

The stamp displayed at the center of the card depicts the two industrial figures together with architectural and industrial imagery. The denomination 4 francs + 2 francs suggests that the stamp may belong to the category of semi-postal issues, in which an additional surcharge was collected for cultural or social purposes. Such stamps were commonly issued in mid-twentieth-century Europe to commemorate historical achievements or notable personalities.

The postal cancellation from Brussels dated 1957 situates the card within the postwar period of European reconstruction. During these decades many countries issued commemorative stamps highlighting national achievements in science, technology, and industry. This card appears to belong to that broader tradition of philatelic commemoration.

From a collecting perspective, the card intersects several thematic areas. It is relevant to collections focusing on the history of photographic materials, the industrial history of Belgium, and European commemorative philately. Items featuring figures such as Lieven Gevaert are particularly significant for collectors interested in the industrial development of photographic technology.

In conclusion, this postal card represents more than a simple philatelic object. By commemorating both Lieven Gevaert and Édouard Empain, the design highlights the interconnected nature of technological and industrial development. The growth of the photographic materials industry was closely related to broader industrial transformations involving chemistry, engineering, and infrastructure. As such, the card provides a small yet meaningful reflection of the complex industrial networks that shaped the evolution of photographic technology in modern Europe.

Record Information

Title: Belgian FDC Honoring Lieven Gevaert & Edouard Empain

Category: Photographic Industry History / Commemorative Philately

Subcategory: Industrial Heritage / Belgian Postal History

Country: Belgium

City: Brussels

Date of use: 8 June 1957

Honored Individuals: Lieven Gevaert (1868-1935), founder of the Gevaert photographic materials company; Édouard Empain (1852-1929), Belgian industrialist and engineer involved in electric transportation and railway infrastructure.

Object Type: Commemorative postal card with semi-postal stamp

Postal Features: Belgian semi-postal stamp (4 francs + 2 francs) featuring portraits of Gevaert and Empain with architectural and industrial imagery; Brussels special cancellation (8 June 1957).

Language: French, Dutch (bilingual)

Material: Paper postcard

Dimensions: Standard postcard format

Notable Feature: Commemorative postal card honoring two Belgian industrial pioneers; semi-postal stamp with surcharge; official first day cancellation from Brussels.

Collection Theme: Lieven Gevaert, Gevaert company, Agfa-Gevaert, Belgian photographic industry, Édouard Empain, Belgian industrial history, semi-postal stamps, commemorative philately, 1950s Belgium.

Archival Significance: This 1957 commemorative postal card honors Lieven Gevaert, founder of the Belgian photographic materials company, and Édouard Empain, reflecting the intersection of photographic technology with broader Belgian industrial development.

Research Note:

This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.

Date of use : 1936, Belgium

Photographic Studio Stationery of Clément Ortmans, Belgium

This document represents a commercial envelope issued by the company Clément Ortmans (1881-1964), a photographic supply distributor based in the Belgian city of Verviers. The printed letterhead prominently features the French phrase "Fournitures Photographiques en gros," meaning "wholesale photographic supplies." This description clearly indicates that the firm operated as a distributor of photographic materials such as cameras, accessories, chemicals, and related equipment.

According to the printed information on the envelope, the company's primary base of operations was located in Verviers. Additional telephone connections are listed for the cities of Antwerp and Liège, suggesting that the business maintained commercial relationships or representative contacts in several Belgian urban centers. During the early twentieth century the distribution of photographic materials in Belgium often relied on regional networks of wholesalers and retail dealers.

In the upper right corner of the envelope appears a Belgian postage stamp with a denomination of 70 centimes, bearing the portrait of King Leopold III. This stamp belongs to one of the standard postal issues used in Belgium during the 1930s. The cancellation mark indicates processing through the Verviers postal system and dates the mailing to the year 1936. This period coincided with a phase of rapid growth in the photographic industry, when amateur photography was becoming increasingly widespread across Europe.

The envelope was addressed to Monsieur and Madame Alfred Deftize in the city of Liège. The address references Place Xavier Neujean, a well-known square located in the central area of the city. The correspondence was most likely related to a commercial matter such as a product order, catalogue mailing, or delivery of photographic materials. However, because the original contents of the envelope are no longer present, the exact purpose of the correspondence cannot be determined with certainty.

Belgium played an important role in the European photographic trade during the first half of the twentieth century. Situated between major industrial centers in Germany and France, the country functioned as a commercial intermediary within the broader photographic market. Photographic shops and wholesalers operating in cities such as Brussels, Antwerp, and Liège often served as distributors for equipment produced by international manufacturers. Firms like Clément Ortmans likely formed part of this interconnected commercial network.

From a postal history perspective the envelope reflects the visual characteristics typical of business correspondence in the 1930s. The printed commercial letterhead, the listing of telephone numbers, and the clear identification of branch contacts illustrate the modern communication practices adopted by businesses of the period. Envelopes of this kind functioned not only as carriers of mail but also as subtle advertising media representing the company's identity.

For collectors, the envelope may be classified within several thematic fields. It belongs to the category of photographic industry ephemera because it originates from a company specializing in photographic supplies. At the same time it contributes to the study of Belgian postal history, commercial correspondence, and the broader European networks that supported the distribution of photographic technology.

Record Information

Title: Photographic Studio Stationery of Clément Ortmans, Belgium

Category: Photographic Industry History / Wholesale Trade

Subcategory: Commercial Correspondence / Belgian Postal History

Country: Belgium

City: Verviers (Sender) → Liège (Recipient)

Date of use: 1936

Company (Sender): Clément Ortmans (1881-1964), Verviers, Belgium. A wholesale distributor of photographic supplies, including cameras, accessories, chemicals, and related equipment, operating in Belgium during the early twentieth century.

Recipient: Monsieur and Madame Alfred Deftize, Place Xavier Neujean, Liège, Belgium.

Object Type: Domestic commercial envelope with printed letterhead

Postal Features: Belgian 70-centime stamp with King Leopold III portrait; Verviers postal cancellation (1936).

Language: French

Material: Paper envelope

Dimensions: Standard envelope format

Notable Feature: Printed letterhead identifying the firm as "Fournitures Photographiques en gros" (wholesale photographic supplies); telephone connections listed for Verviers, Antwerp, and Liège; King Leopold III postage stamp.

Collection Theme: Clément Ortmans, Verviers, Belgian photographic trade, wholesale photographic supplies, Liège photography, King Leopold III stamp, Belgian postal history, commercial correspondence, 1930s Europe.

Archival Significance: This 1936 envelope documents a Belgian wholesale photographic supply distributor, illustrating the commercial networks that supported the photographic industry in interwar Belgium.

Research Note:

This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
For academic reference, please refer to How to Cite This Archive.