Women's business/Businesswomen
From September 13th onwards, the Museum Plantin-Moretus will tell the stories of the women who lived and worked in the Plantin-Moretus printing house for 300 years. Stories about daughters who corrected proofs from an early age. Stories about ladies and maids. Stories about women who not only climbed social ladders, but made them themselves.
Up until now, the spotlight has mainly been on the first three male managers of the printing house: founder Christophe Plantin, son-in-law Jan and grandson Balthasar Moretus. However, the early-modern book trade was anything but a man's business. The printing house was a typical family business filled with industrious businesswomen, master printers, apprentice boys and servant girls. Despite a wealth of information in the museum's archives about the lives of these women, they have remained largely invisible. This will finally change as of September 13th.
Discover 9 generations of stories in publishing house and home
For nine generations, women lived and worked in the printing house on the Vrijdagmarkt. They were indispensable and their stories will now receive their rightful place in the museum. How did the many daughters, wives, and widower printers live? What is written about their lives in the letters, diaries and household journals kept in the museum archives? How did they deal with worries, hopes and dreams?
Contemporary silhouettes with a soul
On seven locations in the museum, these women will tell their stories. They talk about work, marriage, the children, health issues... things that concern us just as much today. Fashion studio Reantwerp has created seven contemporary silhouettes that visually interpret the women of the house. Near the silhouettes, special objects, prints and archival documents from the past bring the stories of these women back to life.
Practical information
Women's business/Businesswomen - 9 generations of stories in publishing house and home
- From Saturday 13 September at the Museum Plantin-Moretus
- More information and tickets via the website: https://museumplantinmoretus.be/en
