1935 brussels international exhibition - aps · coudenberg square 1935 brussels 7f.pub . old...

1935 Brussels International Exhibition

This exhibition covered the largest area of any held in Belgium so far, being 105 hectares. It was sited adjacent to the Laeken public park at Heysel, where the exhibition hall (still in use) had been built in 1930 for the Centenary of Belgian Independence. The site was further enlarged for Expo58.

Interestingly, holding an such an exhibition in Belgium in 1935 appeared to violate the agreement made at the Convention Relating to International Exhibitions (Paris 1928), which stated that two universal exhibitions - the largest type - could not be held within a decade in the same country. The 1930 Antwerp-Liege exhibition should have meant Belgium was debarred until 1941 from another. Such was the rivalry among Belgian cities that Brussels applied for permission to hold an exhibition in 1935. The Paris based Bureau of International Exhibitions bent to the pressure and Belgium was allowed to hold a universal exhibition. This exception led to the collapse of the agreement less than a decade after it was signed.

A major publicity and selling point, more than any other Belgian Fair, was King Albert being high patron. His very popular presence was everywhere, which gave Belgium a high profile, more so even than the 1930 centenary celebrations. Alas, Albert died in February 1934 during the planning. Thus it was left to his son, Leopold 3, to take over and officiate.

Principal foreign countries were Austria, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Holland, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and USA. There were nine categories of exhibit from sciences and engineering to clothing, economics and tourism. ·

The site boasted some striking features, including the Monumental Palace, which contained the bulk of the Belgian exhibits, and the Palace of Art. Both were constructed from permanent materials. Luxurious parks, lakes and gardens were created specially. The architectural effect was art-deco rather than modern, the style of the 1925 Paris exhibition being everywhere. "Old Brussels" was built on the edge of the site and was mediaeval in style and costume.

In the Palace of Art, half was old art and half modern. A stunning display of art from all nations called "Five Centuries of Art, 1400-1900" was a runaway success. In this the modern included French works by Bonnard, Braque, Chagall, Derain, Matisse, Picasso, Vlaminck, Maillot etc. This had political importance as the Germans recently had closed the Bauhaus. Britain's selection of art was also surprisingly modern.

Despite the lavishness of the site, Belgian architecture was confused. It was neither art-nouveau nor modern; it took a turn back toward classicism, which caused chaos. It was not until the 1958 Expo that a coherent design returned to architectural and industrial creations.

The Exhibition opened on 27 April and closed on 6 November. Despite problems, twenty six million visitors attended and a profit of some forty five million Belgian francs was made.

Two sets of stamps were issued, the first of 4 stamps on 1 July 1934 to advertise this exhibition, the second of 3 on opening day. The first was heliogravure printed by J. Malvaux, in sheets of 200 stamps of 4 panels (10 x 5 stamps) & p 14 x 13%. It was demonetised after two years on 1 July 36.

Congo pavilion Brussels pavilion Old Brussels Heysel Centenary Hall

Registered double weight letter to UK

Bruxelles Exposition I Brussel Tentoonstelling 1935 special eds dated 13 Aug 35

Postage Additional postage Registration

175 Fr (s 20 gm) 1 Fr (21 <wt s 40 gm) 175 Fr

1935 Brussels 2.pub

Labels issued for 1935 exhibition showing 1930 built Heysel pavilion, which was used for this exhibition, oJ~~ . for 1958

Part of sheet of unknown size

1935 Brussels 3.pub

Trilingual cards nonnally available only in the Cantons of Eupen & Malmedy with Expo mechanical canceller

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Current internal card used 10 October with postman's small circular round stamp

~onsieur L. Seguy

6 A, rue Ve yd t

Bruxelles -------

Current external card used locally 29 October

1935 Brussels 3a.pub

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Registered ainnail letter from Brussels to Basel (BAie)

Brussels Exhibition I office 1-c eds of 18 Aug 1935, 3 pm

Exhibition registration label 664

Postage Registration Airmail

Overpaid 25c

175 Fr (s 20 gm) 175 Fr 050 Fr (S 20 gm)

Reverse (part)

1. Basel airport V eds of 20 Aug 35, 7 am

.-------~--j__ 2. Basel 2 /letter centre V eds of 20 Aug 35. 7 am

1935 Brussels 3b.pub

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Letter from Brussels to Stuttgart

Brussels (QL) mechanical canceller of 30 Oct 35

Postage abroad 175 Fr (s 20 gm)

1935 Brussels 4.pub

Two letters with 1934 stamps advertising Brussels 1935

TRANSPORTS

TOSETTI ANVERS

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If undelivered please return to :

Letter from Wetteren to Norman, USA

Wetteren pepinieres - roseraies boom-enrosenkweekerijnen slogan eds of 25 July 1934

Postage 175 Fr

HENRY LOUFS WETTEREN

(BJllLGIU.11<1)

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Registered Letter fro'!' Antwerp to New York

Antwerpen 1 eds of 28 Jan 1935

New York NY Reg'y Div oval ds of 5 Feb (verso)

New York (Sta G) NY registered eds of 6 Feb 1935 (verso)

Postage Reg

f 6 Fr 175 Fr

lfr. RJl)INALD HOCKER, 3I9 Y. ColJtlanche Street, NORllAN. •••-m=-m Ok1a.

u.s.A. Btate Un1s d'Al:l&r1que.


Airmail letter from Brussels to Sweden

Bruxelles Exposition I Brussel Tentoonstelling /1935 eds of 12 May 1935

Postage abroad Airmail

175 Fr (S 20 gm) 1 Fr (s 20 gm)


Airmail private postcard to Asmara, Eritrea

Brussels 1 K eds of 2Oct1935

Paris R.P JAvion eds of 2 Oct 1935

Postage 35c (Im prime) Airmail 2 Fr/5 gm (Fixed at this rate)

Imperial airways to Khartoum and then local airline from Khartoum to Asmara. 1st flight was 28 Sep. This was the 200 flight.

GAGNEZ OU TEM"<;

RE PONOEZ p,.\ R AVI 0 N

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Picture postcard to Australia of the Royal Theatre in Brussels

Brussels 1 F eds of 16 Oct 34

Postage abroad 1 Fr

From the partial cancel on the LHS and lack of paper damage, it is evident that the 35c stamp was improperly affixed.

Postcard requests a couple of letters be sent on the inaugural 10 Dec 1934 Brisbane-London through flight. These will then be returned.

Card went from downtown Brussels 8-9 am to Paris airport by 3 pm by air.

Slogan says • Gain time replying by air"

1935 Brussels 5.pub

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Czechoslovak pavilion

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Official picture postcard to Czechoslovakia

Special BrusselsExpo mechanical canceller of 31 Aug 35 Hradek Kralove arrival eds of 2 Sep

Postage abroad 35c ( ~ 5 words text)

1935 Brussels 6.pub

Royal Palace in Brussels

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Picture postcard to USA

Brussels (QL) mechanical canceller of 30 Sep 35

Postage abroad 1 Fr

1935 Brussels 7.pub

Boulevard d~ Centenaire (100 Year's Boulevard)

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Avenue of the Large Linden tree


Boulevard dW Centenaire Main Boulevard in which the Atomium was built for the 1958 Expo

Picture postcard to Holland

Brussels 1 mechanical canceller of 27 Aug 35 (stamp removed)


Boulev1rd du C1nten1lre ·view

Offlcl1I picture poatcard to H1lalngborg, Sweden

Bn.i•••I• l!xpo mech1nlcal canceller of 21 Aug 38

1935 BtulMlt 7bb.pub

Agriculture Pavilion

l:,"'po.Jiliffit. ::J11Jmwiionafc 13m e.dlo 19 J5. - 10w /t!Jm/a_(JllJf.elLiiUJ 13ra .. url 1915.

Old Brussels Exhibit off Boulevard de Centenaire

1935 Brussels 7c.pub

Old Brussels re-creation - 1 (a very rare set of prints)

Rue Courbe - Curved Street

The Archdukes' Bellone House

1935 Brussels 7d.pub

Old Brussels re-creation - 2

Hotel Rubempre, Place de Bailles (Buckets)

Two views of Old Brussels RHS is R. Senne

1935 Brussels 7 e.pub


Artisans' Court

Coudenberg Square

1935 Brussels 7f.pub


River Senne

Flour Millers' Passage

1935 Brussels 7g.pub


Fishmongers' Door

Satyrs' Fountain

1935 Brussels 7h.pub


Artisan's Court

View the other way

1935 Brussels 7j.pub

Old Brussels re- creation - 7 .

Main Courtyard

15° Fr stamp corresponded with the letter rate to Holland Postcard rate abroad was 1 Fr

Date of 13 December 1935 was after the Expo closed, but the canceller was that used at Expo

A case of using old stock after the event!

1935 Brussels 7k.pub

Old Brussels re- creation - 8

Fountain of the Three Virgins Slogan next to cancel reads "Tourists, visit Parthenay & the Batine"

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Postcard to Parthenay (Deux-Sevres) and forwarded to Vichy (Allier) Vieux Bruxelles - Oud Brussel / 1935 Expo eds of 5 Aug 1935

T added. 35c stamp on card cancelled at Parthenay/Oeux-Sevres (cancelling T) Rate ok for imprime as s 5 words text.

1935 Brussels 71.pub

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Paris pavilion

Official picture postcard to Bruges

Brussels Expo special mechanical canceller 14 Aug 35 Postage 1 Oc internally for s 5 words of text

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1935 Brussels 8.pub

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Registered triple weight letter to Berlin

Bruxelles-Brussel 12 relief eds of 13 May 1935 Postage 175 Fr (s 20 gm) Additional postage 2 Fr (40 <wt s 60 gm) Registration 175 Fr

BALASSE 34, RUE DU LOMBARD. 34

BRUXELLES

\. ---· 1935 Brussels 9.pub

Val St Lambert glass works pavilion

EXl'O~lllO" OE 8RUllELLE~ 1935. Pa'l'iUon dee Crlatallen.. d• Val S.Uat lamhen

da midi \ Tra,. 52 de la 80 ..... . , & da aord E.t.6e AMricl

Map on reverse showing some of the Expo &layout


Brazil pavilion

6. EXPOSITION DE BRUXELLES 1935 L'ltalie

Italy pavilion


Oanernark

19. EXPOSITION DE BRUXELLES 1935 Palais du Danemark et de J'Autr iche

Hwass et Ostenfeldl Autriche

Denmark (LHS) & Austria (RHS) pavilions

Egypt's pavilion

1935 Brussels 1 Oa.pub

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Exposition de Bruxelles 1935

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Great Britain Pavilion PPC to Wisconsin, USA

'The Fair is very pretty. They have a train, like the little one in Chicago, that goes all around the grounds ... ."

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Holland pavilion

Corner of the Rosary - in the sunken garden

1935 Brussels 1 Ob.pub

Catholic Life pavilion

Brussels (Nord) SF eds of 5 May 35 to Hamburg

1935 Brussels 1 Oc. pub

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Hungarian pavilion

Lighting for the Paris Pavilion

1935 Brussels 1 Od.pub

Switzerland pavilion

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Netherlands Pavilion

1935 Brussels 1 Oe.pub

Old Brussels - flour mill

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Textiles Pavilion

1935 Brussels 1 Of.pub

English pavilion - rear veranda

English pavilion - rear across garden

1935 Brussels 10g.pub

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1935 Brussels 1()f.pub

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1935 Brussels 1 Oi.pub

Lilliputian Village - staffed by children dressed as adults

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Village Lilllputlen - Pare dta /\ttractlona Exposition d~ ll1uxdles 193S

Lilllputstad - /\ttractle Park \V~ldt~nloonst~lling van 8ruwl 1935.

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Postcard wtth Lilliputian Village eds (2) of 19 May to Brussels

1935 Brussels 10j.pub

Mail Coach stamps. This set of three stamps was issued on 27 April 1935 to coincide with the opening of the International Fair. The design was from a lithograph print in the Postal Museum in Brussels. Heliogravure printed by J. Malvaux in sheets of 10 stamps (2 x 5), they were perforated 13Y2 x 14. They were demonetised on 1 July 1936.

Quantities released for sale were: 10+10c olive-black 497,898; 25+25c brown 433,430 and 35+25c green 436,872

10 + 10 c olive-black


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25 + 25 c brown

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35 + 25 c green

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Brussels exhibit.ion cancel on Mail Coach st.amps 23 Jul 35

English pavilion

Czechoslovakian pavilion


Brussels exhibition cancel on Mail Coach stamps 23 Jul 35

Heysel Centenary pavilion


Exhibition Souvenir cover dated 24 Jun 1935

SOUVENIR DE L'EXPOSITION INTERNATIONALE

DE BRUXELLES 1935

MAISON A. DE KEYSER GALERIE JAMES ENSOR, 40

OSTEN DE

Mail Coach stamps issued April 1935

1935Brussels16.pub

Letter from Brussels to Freetown, Sierra Leone

Bruxelles I Brussel 1 B1 D eds of 12 August 1935

Freetown I Sierra Leone arrival eds of 24 Au 35 (verso)

Postage

While the Grand Hotel and Freetown have been deleted in red crayon, there are no instructions as to where the letter was sent. Maybe it was hand delivered to another address in Freetown. An unusual destination.


1935 brussels international exhibition - aps · coudenberg square 1935 brussels 7f.pub . old...

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