Visitekaartje van drukkerij J. Deleau-Van Assche te Antwerpen 1847

This is a calling card for the J. Deleau-Van Assche printing shop in Antwerp, made by E. Houbaer, probably around the mid-19th century. The design is ornate and self-consciously artistic, using swirling foliage and vignettes to advertise the firm’s services. We see images of the printing process, a lithographic workshop, and a bookbinder at work. The business clearly aims to be seen as a cultural institution, producing printed matter ‘pour le civil, les arts, les sciences et le commerce’ – ‘for the citizen, the arts, sciences and commerce.' What does it mean to emphasize these things at this moment in time? Belgium declared its independence in 1830, and the rising middle classes were anxious to establish their own cultural authority. This meant supporting institutions like libraries, museums, and, of course, the printing trade. To understand this image more fully, we might consult business directories, local histories, and archives of the printing trade. It would show us how art is always entangled with the social and institutional conditions of its making.