Gustave Photographe - Société Anonyme des Ateliers de la Dyle a Louvain

Set of 5 Original Albumen Photographs – Ateliers de la Dyle à Louvain (Belgium) – Z.A.R. Railway Rolling Stock – ca. 1885–1890

A very rare and authentic set of five original albumen photographs depicting railway wagons built by the Société Anonyme des Ateliers de la Dyle à Louvain (Belgium) for the Z.A.R. – Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic). These warm-toned, high-quality photographs show different types of freight cars—open, closed and ventilated wagons—constructed for export, photographed on the factory’s tracks in Louvain.

Each image bears the printed credit “Gustave Photographe” and the atelier imprint “Société Anonyme des Ateliers de la Dyle à Louvain (Belgique), 192 Chaussée d’Anvers” in the lower margin. This printed plate-signature is part of the original negative and serves as the photographer’s attribution. Numbered within the image (e.g. 76, 78, 84), they correspond to the firm’s original presentation catalogue.

Dating: circa 1885–1890, during the company’s peak export period prior to its merger with La Métallurgique.
Technique: genuine albumen prints from glass negatives, mounted on thick original presentation boards.
Dimensions: image approx. 17 × 26cm; mount approx. 31 × 38 cm. (H x W)
Condition: very good for age — very light toning and marginal wear consistent with 19th-century industrial albums; no tears or losses, images remain rich in contrast and detail.

A very fine and historically significant documentation of early Belgian railway engineering and colonial export production.