Fotoreproductie van een tekening, voorstellende een exterieur van een handelsgebouw te Brussel before 1854

The Bisson Frères created this photographic reproduction of a drawing of a commercial building in Brussels sometime between 1852 and 1863. The image invites us to consider the relationship between commerce, identity, and representation in 19th-century Europe. During this period, Brussels, like many European cities, was experiencing rapid industrialization and economic expansion. This building symbolizes the rise of capitalism and the changing social structures that came with it. What does it mean to document a commercial building in this way? Was it an architectural study or a celebration of mercantile power? Consider how the architecture of the building might reflect the values and aspirations of the rising bourgeois class. The image serves as a reminder of the complex ways in which economic forces shape our built environment and, by extension, our identities. It encapsulates a moment in time when commerce was reshaping the social and physical landscape of Europe.