Exterieur van het gebouw Le Printemps aan de Boulevard du Nord te Brussel 1875

Alexandre de Blochouse’s photograph from 1875, captures the exterior of the Le Printemps building in Brussels. What’s remarkable is the way this image memorializes not just the architecture itself, but also the very idea of the ‘new boulevard’. Consider the context: industrialization was in full swing, and cities were being reshaped by new technologies and social patterns. Buildings like Le Printemps, constructed with brick and stone, reflect not only architectural design, but also the labor and skill involved in extracting, shaping, and assembling these materials. Look at the intricate facades and the repeated patterns of windows and columns, all of which speak to the growing availability of machine-made elements in construction. The photograph itself is an industrial product, created through chemical processes and mechanical reproduction. So, in looking at this image, we are really contemplating an entire network of making, a snapshot of a society in transition. It reminds us that art is not just about individual creativity, but also about the complex interplay of materials, processes, and the human touch.