Studio portrait of a girl with her dog

The special bond between people and animals has been illustrated for centuries in paintings and photography. This subject can be particularly heartwarming and even poignant when children are portrayed with their pet, as in this lovely carbon print from 1875-1880 of Jenny Rolin as toddler with her dog.
(photo by Nestor Schaffers, Gent / collection of Rolin-Van Cauwenberghe)

When the horse was king

A large number of the 19th-century porcelain business cards in our collection are from veterinarians, horse trainers, blacksmiths, saddlemakers and carriage builders, even hotel owners who offer stables as well as rooms - all testament to the importance of the horse as prime mode of transportation in that era.
(Collection of porcelain cards).

Before the car

Horse-drawn trams had been in use in Ghent since 1874 and were at the time of this photo gradually replaced by electric trams. You wouldn't expect it here, but In large cities horse-drawn transport created massive traffic jams and some claimed that motor transport would solve this problem.
(Collection of Family Cordy-Vernieuwe, 1897/98).

Bella, mascot of Diesterweg's School Colony

Bella the Pyrenean Mastiff was the beloved mascot of the children residing at Diesterweg's open-air school in Kalmthout-Heide before World War I. She was the dog of the accountant of the organisation and frequently featured in the group shots with the kids.
(Postcard reproduction from a photo by F. Hoelen, Kapellen / Collection of Diesterweg's Hulpkas).

Milkwoman with a dog cart in Bruges

Not every dog was as fortunate as Bella the Diesterweg mascot.
(Postcard reproduction from a photo by Théo De Graeve, c. 1900-1914).

A bit of Peru in Ghent

Our collection contains several postcards of the zoological garden in Ghent from the second half of the 19th century. Founded by the local Natural History Society in 1851, this awkward mix between pseudo science, fascination for the exotic, and upper-class entertainment was anything but a model of animal wellfare. When it closed in 1905 due to a decline of visitors and financial problems, the animals were slaughtered or sold. Part of the zoo survives to this day as the Muinkpark.
(Postcard from 1904).

Donkey rides in Scheveningen

Donkey rides in seaside resorts have been popular since Victorian times. The Dutch impressionist painter Isaac Israëls (1865 – 1934) immortalised those he saw on the beach of Scheveningen around 1900. This photo featuring Paul and Jacques Verschoore in Scheveningen dates from 1917.
(Collection of Buysse-Verschoore)

War heroes

The machine gun section of the 7th Line Regiment used the sturdy Belgian Mastiffs to pull their Maxim guns in World War I. After the war Jean Pecher (right), some of his mates and the dogs travelled to the USA for a Victory Loan publicity tour. The dogs, never too camera shy, quite naturally received a lot of attention.
(Collection of Jean Pecher / Chicago, April 1919).

Gone fishing

During their stay in Canada, the first part of their world trip in 1929-30, Louis Varlez and Lucien Brunin spent several days fishing on the lakes in Ontario. Varlez proudly shows his first pickerel caught on Lake Nipigon, while the guide keeps the canoe steady.
(Photo by Lucien Brunin / Collection of Louis Varlez, 24 August 1929).

A Belgian dairy farm in Fort Garry, Canada

Varlez and Brunin visited some of the dairy farms established by Belgian immigrants in and around Winnipeg, in Manitoba, Canada at the end of the 19th century. One of the most important families in the area were the Van Walleghems from Wingene. By the early 20th century Belgians had become the largest single group of dairymen in Winnipeg. Pictured here are the Goberts, nephews of the Van Walleghems, who ran according to Varlez one of the most beautiful dairy farms with 78 cows.
(Photo by Louis Varlez / Collection of Louis Varlez, 29 August 1929).

The Bear Pit in Bern

The famous Bear Pit (Bärengraben) in Bern was one of the main attractions for Maurits Van Wesemael and his companions on their trip to Switzerland in August 1933. Although the last wild bear in Switzerland was killed in 1904, it seems they are gradually making a comeback in recent years, migrating form Italy.
(Collection of Maurits Van Wesemael).

Jurassic Park

While travelling to Hamburg in August 1937 the Van Wesemaels couldn’t overlook a visit to the famous Tierpark Hagenbeck, founded in 1907 as the first zoo to use open enclosures instead of cages. Life-size dinosaur exhibits (albeit not animated), clearly added to the attraction of the park. Not quite Jurassic Park then, but evidently just about as nonchalant in its mix of species from different eras.
(Collection of Maurits Van Wesemael).

If looks could tell

A young gorilla captured in the Belgian-Congo, ready to be shipped to a zoo.
The colonisation of the African continent left its unique flora and fauna up for grabs. Ranging from excessive trophy and commercial hunting (ivory) to scientific research and educational projects, the results were downright catastrophic insofar that already in the late 19th century genuine efforts at wildlife protection took shape.
While by now the concept of the zoo has been hotly debated for decades, poaching and habitat loss continue to decimate the wildlife population at a devastating rate.
(Photo by H. Goldstein for Congopresse, 1948 / Collection of Henri Guillaume).

Elephant domestication in the Belgian-Congo

The Belgian colonisers hoped to revive the ancient skill of domesticating African elephants, mainly for forestry work, and established a training centre in Gangala-na-Bodio, in the northeastern part of the colony, in 1927. The results proved disappointing however and the African elephants never attained the same degree of docility as their Asian cousins.
(Collection of Robert Godding, c. 1945-1953).

A day at the races

While the champion receives his cup, mayor Adolphe Van Glabbeke congratulates the horse at the outcome of an equestrian competition in Ostend (1950's).
(Collection of Adolphe Van Glabbeke).