The Baume & Marpent archive collection
Le fonds d’archives Baume & Marpent
p. 198
Texte intégral
1The Écomusée of Bois-du-Luc, housed since 1983 at the old mining site of Bois-du-Luc (Belgium), has made the saving and transmission of industrial experiences one of its founding missions. Included among its collections is the Baume & Marpent archives. With over 100 linear meters of archives, this precious assembly contains numerous plans (1200) portfolios, photographs (including 800 glass slides) as well as administrative archives (20 linear meters). It reflects the international expansion of the company founded in Haine-Saint-Pierre (La Louvière) in 1853. Originally specialized in railway construction, from 1871 the company diversified its manufacturing programme and conquered the five continents: China, the Near and Middle East, Belgian Congo, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt etc. In addition to civil engineering constructions, it created structures for civil and industrial buildings; gasometers, water, oil and acid reservoirs; heavy engineering machinery, railway equipment, etc. These constructions are all documented in the Baume & Marpent archive collection which is of undeniable interest for the architectural field. The portfolios of technical plans thus contain the entire development process for constructions, from land surveys for the elevation of a bridge to the details of rivets or even the decorative escutcheons of the railings that contain it.
2The archives selected in the context of the Arching project illustrate the projects embarked on by Baume & Marpent in Egypt. These records show how much the firm from Haine-Saint-Pierre worked in that part of the Mediterranean basin. The company’s administrative archives complement the information supplied by technical plans, such as, for example the abundant correspondence exchanged between the head office at Haine-Saint-Pierre and the Egyptian division (1948-1958). The archives describe moreover the close relationships formed between Belgium and Egypt through Belgian and Egyptian engineers in particular working together on numerous projects. Beyond the technical exploits of the company, it is precisely this alternative view which fascinates us and opens us to new perspectives.
Auteur
-
Isabelle Sirjacobs
Archivist at the Écomusée du Bois-du-Luc, La Louvière (Belgium)
Le texte seul est utilisable sous licence Creative Commons - Attribution - Pas d’Utilisation Commerciale 4.0 International - CC BY-NC 4.0. Les autres éléments (illustrations, fichiers annexes importés) sont « Tous droits réservés », sauf mention contraire.
Plumes et Pinceaux : Discours de femmes sur l’art en Europe (1750-1850) — Anthologie
Anne Lafont (dir.) Isabelle Baudino, David Blankenstein, Charlotte Foucher et al. (éd.) Anne-Laure Brisac-Chraïbi, Flore Piacentino, Jean Piétri et al. (trad.)
2012
L’Art social de la Révolution à la Grande Guerre
Anthologie de textes sources
Neil McWilliam, Catherine Méneux et Julie Ramos (dir.) Catherine Fraixe, Estelle Thibault, Bertrand Tillier et al. (éd.)
2014
Construire au-delà de la Méditerranée
L’apport des archives d’entreprises européennes (1860-1970)
Claudine Piaton, Ezio Godoli et David Peyceré (dir.) Maryse Bideault, Giada Chanaz Saint Amour, Anita Conrade et al. (trad.)
2012
Building Beyond The Mediterranean
Studying The Archives of European Businesses (1860-1970)
Claudine Piaton, Ezio Godoli et David Peyceré (dir.) Maryse Bideault, Giada Chanaz Saint Amour, Anita Conrade et al. (trad.)
2012
Plumes et Pinceaux : Discours de femmes sur l’art en Europe (1750-1850) — Anthologie
Anne Lafont (dir.) Isabelle Baudino, David Blankenstein, Charlotte Foucher et al. (éd.) Anne-Laure Brisac-Chraïbi, Flore Piacentino, Jean Piétri et al. (trad.)
2012
L’Art social de la Révolution à la Grande Guerre
Anthologie de textes sources
Neil McWilliam, Catherine Méneux et Julie Ramos (dir.) Catherine Fraixe, Estelle Thibault, Bertrand Tillier et al. (éd.)
2014
Construire au-delà de la Méditerranée
L’apport des archives d’entreprises européennes (1860-1970)
Claudine Piaton, Ezio Godoli et David Peyceré (dir.) Maryse Bideault, Giada Chanaz Saint Amour, Anita Conrade et al. (trad.)
2012
Building Beyond The Mediterranean
Studying The Archives of European Businesses (1860-1970)
Claudine Piaton, Ezio Godoli et David Peyceré (dir.) Maryse Bideault, Giada Chanaz Saint Amour, Anita Conrade et al. (trad.)
2012
