Printed: 2023-06-02
Diorama International
Identity
Category
Firm
Alternative name or descriptor
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Status
- Connected
Details
Life dates
Activity
1894 * - 1914 / Anvers, Marché aux Souliers, 41
The Diorama International was of a design similar to the "Kaiserpanorama" created by August Fuhrmann (1844 - 1925), a working model of which is in the holdings of the "Museum voor Fotografie" in Antwerp (see Joseph Maes). It consisted of a circular structure with multiple viewing stations for rotating stereo slides.
Main branch. Opened on 1.12.1894. Initially managed by Paul Langer (° Breslau [Prussia], 11.1.1862), who had arrived in Antwerp on 6.11.1894 and was recorded as the director in the 1895 directory. By 1896, the enterprise was being run by "Eugène" Guillaume Geurts (° Antwerp, 9.1.1877), who later seems to have cooperated with his brother "Léonard" Arnold Geurts (° Antwerp, 11.6.1873). His Antwerp foreigner's file records Eugène as the manager of this establishment in December 1896, when he came from Ghent. Eugène Geurts and Victor Portielje (see that name) went into partnership on 30-31.3.1896 for the purpose of running the "Diorama International"; the partnership of Geurts & Portielje was headquartered in Antwerp.
The 1890-1900 Antwerp population register initially records Eugène as a photographer, while it also records both of the Geurts brothers as "director of a diorama" at some point. Léonard left for Liège at the end of 1897 and returned to Antwerp on 9.3.1899. Eugène left for Liège on 20.4.1899. Managed from 1901 on by Mathieu Joseph Marie Richard (° Bordeaux [Gironde, F], 13.5.1844), known as Marcel Richard. On at least one occasion, the Diorama commissioned original work, in the form of views of the inauguration of the Congo railway and upper Congo, by Georges Gilson, in 1898.
The Panorama was likely destroyed during the German bombardment in October 1914 when the whole neighbourhood was virtually flattened.
1897 * - 1904 Liège, Passage Lemonnier, 22<97-00> then 21<01-03>
Opened on 23.10.1897 as a branch of the Antwerp firm. It was also managed by the Geurts brothers. "For 50 centimes, you can take a trip to Switzerland and to the most picturesque part of this marvellous country. You can scale Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn..." (La Meuse, 24.6.1898). "Reopening very soon. More than 500 series of 50 views, depicting nature in relief, perspective and natural colours" (La Meuse, 1.4.1901). Still managed by Léonard Geurts at the start of the winter season in November 1902 when his brother Eugène advertised from the Brussels address that the Liège operation was for sale against a down payment of 1 000 frs (La Meuse, 5.11.1902 & 13.11.1902). The fraternal conflict may have been resolved amicably because Léonard was still advertising here in January 1903. The Diorama was still being advertised at this address in June 1904.
1899 - 1900 Bruxelles, Boulevard Anspach, 8 (Passage des Postes)
"Exhibition of glass stereoscopic views. Open from 10 in the morning to 11 in the evening. Until 13 May: Andrée's expedition to the North Pole in a balloon" (L'Indépendance Belge, 11.5.1899).
1901 * - 1906 Bruxelles, Rue Neuve, 109<01-04> then 169<04-06>
Opened on 1.1.1901. Eugène Geurts advertised this as his main branch, so it is possible that the Antwerp diorama was no longer part of his empire by then. Sporadically advertised here in Dutch as "Wereld-Panorama". A leaflet from July 1902 specifically features this address and the one in Ghent, but also mentions Antwerp, Liège and Charleroi in the heading. Advertising at no. 169 from 7.7.1904 and still advertising there in March 1906.
1901 ca Bruxelles - Ixelles, Chaussée d'Ixelles, 50
An undated leaflet headlining the panorama at Rue Neuve, 109 also features this address and another one in Namur.
1901 ca Namur, Grand'Place
1902 * Gand, Rue du Soleil, 3 [Zonstraat]
Opened on 27.4.1902, it was a branch of the Brussels firm (Vooruit, 27.4.1902).
1902 * - 1903 Malines, Rue Notre-Dame, 40 [Onze-Lieve-Vrouwstraat]
Opened here as "Wereld-Panorama" on 3.12.1902 (Gazet van Mechelen, 4.12.1902) with the series "Picturesque Tyrol", which was an opener also used by multiple other branches. Still advertising here in May 1903. We have been unable to determine who managed this branch and whether it was directly linked to the other branches.
1902 * - 1905 Louvain, Rue de Diest (corner of Rue L. Vanderkelen) [Diestsche Straat]
Opening here in mid-December 1902 as "Wereld-Panorama" (De Vrijheid, 13.12.1902). We have been unable to determine who managed this branch and whether it was directly linked to the other branches.
1904 Charleroi, Rue de La Montagne, 36
This branch had recently opened by early January 1904 (Gazette de Charleroi, 4.1.1904). Curiously, despite being located in Charleroi, it was advertised with the Dutch name "Wereld-Panorama". We have been unable to determine who managed this branch and whether it was directly linked to the other branches.
The Diorama International was of a design similar to the "Kaiserpanorama" created by August Fuhrmann (1844 - 1925), a working model of which is in the holdings of the "Museum voor Fotografie" in Antwerp (see Joseph Maes). It consisted of a circular structure with multiple viewing stations for rotating stereo slides.
Main branch. Opened on 1.12.1894. Initially managed by Paul Langer (° Breslau [Prussia], 11.1.1862), who had arrived in Antwerp on 6.11.1894 and was recorded as the director in the 1895 directory. By 1896, the enterprise was being run by "Eugène" Guillaume Geurts (° Antwerp, 9.1.1877), who later seems to have cooperated with his brother "Léonard" Arnold Geurts (° Antwerp, 11.6.1873). His Antwerp foreigner's file records Eugène as the manager of this establishment in December 1896, when he came from Ghent. Eugène Geurts and Victor Portielje (see that name) went into partnership on 30-31.3.1896 for the purpose of running the "Diorama International"; the partnership of Geurts & Portielje was headquartered in Antwerp.
The 1890-1900 Antwerp population register initially records Eugène as a photographer, while it also records both of the Geurts brothers as "director of a diorama" at some point. Léonard left for Liège at the end of 1897 and returned to Antwerp on 9.3.1899. Eugène left for Liège on 20.4.1899. Managed from 1901 on by Mathieu Joseph Marie Richard (° Bordeaux [Gironde, F], 13.5.1844), known as Marcel Richard. On at least one occasion, the Diorama commissioned original work, in the form of views of the inauguration of the Congo railway and upper Congo, by Georges Gilson, in 1898.
The Panorama was likely destroyed during the German bombardment in October 1914 when the whole neighbourhood was virtually flattened.
1897 * - 1904 Liège, Passage Lemonnier, 22<97-00> then 21<01-03>
Opened on 23.10.1897 as a branch of the Antwerp firm. It was also managed by the Geurts brothers. "For 50 centimes, you can take a trip to Switzerland and to the most picturesque part of this marvellous country. You can scale Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn..." (La Meuse, 24.6.1898). "Reopening very soon. More than 500 series of 50 views, depicting nature in relief, perspective and natural colours" (La Meuse, 1.4.1901). Still managed by Léonard Geurts at the start of the winter season in November 1902 when his brother Eugène advertised from the Brussels address that the Liège operation was for sale against a down payment of 1 000 frs (La Meuse, 5.11.1902 & 13.11.1902). The fraternal conflict may have been resolved amicably because Léonard was still advertising here in January 1903. The Diorama was still being advertised at this address in June 1904.
1899 - 1900 Bruxelles, Boulevard Anspach, 8 (Passage des Postes)
"Exhibition of glass stereoscopic views. Open from 10 in the morning to 11 in the evening. Until 13 May: Andrée's expedition to the North Pole in a balloon" (L'Indépendance Belge, 11.5.1899).
1901 * - 1906 Bruxelles, Rue Neuve, 109<01-04> then 169<04-06>
Opened on 1.1.1901. Eugène Geurts advertised this as his main branch, so it is possible that the Antwerp diorama was no longer part of his empire by then. Sporadically advertised here in Dutch as "Wereld-Panorama". A leaflet from July 1902 specifically features this address and the one in Ghent, but also mentions Antwerp, Liège and Charleroi in the heading. Advertising at no. 169 from 7.7.1904 and still advertising there in March 1906.
1901 ca Bruxelles - Ixelles, Chaussée d'Ixelles, 50
An undated leaflet headlining the panorama at Rue Neuve, 109 also features this address and another one in Namur.
1901 ca Namur, Grand'Place
1902 * Gand, Rue du Soleil, 3 [Zonstraat]
Opened on 27.4.1902, it was a branch of the Brussels firm (Vooruit, 27.4.1902).
1902 * - 1903 Malines, Rue Notre-Dame, 40 [Onze-Lieve-Vrouwstraat]
Opened here as "Wereld-Panorama" on 3.12.1902 (Gazet van Mechelen, 4.12.1902) with the series "Picturesque Tyrol", which was an opener also used by multiple other branches. Still advertising here in May 1903. We have been unable to determine who managed this branch and whether it was directly linked to the other branches.
1902 * - 1905 Louvain, Rue de Diest (corner of Rue L. Vanderkelen) [Diestsche Straat]
Opening here in mid-December 1902 as "Wereld-Panorama" (De Vrijheid, 13.12.1902). We have been unable to determine who managed this branch and whether it was directly linked to the other branches.
1904 Charleroi, Rue de La Montagne, 36
This branch had recently opened by early January 1904 (Gazette de Charleroi, 4.1.1904). Curiously, despite being located in Charleroi, it was advertised with the Dutch name "Wereld-Panorama". We have been unable to determine who managed this branch and whether it was directly linked to the other branches.
Locations
1894 * - 1914 / Anvers, Marché aux Souliers, 41
1897 * - 1904 Liège, Passage Lemonnier, 22<97-00> then 21<01-03>
1899 - 1900 Bruxelles, Boulevard Anspach, 8 (Passage des Postes)
1901 * - 1906 Bruxelles, Rue Neuve, 109<01-04> then 169<04-06>
1901 ca Bruxelles - Ixelles, Chaussée d'Ixelles, 50
1901 ca Namur, Grand'Place
1902 * Gand, Rue du Soleil, 3 [Zonstraat]
1902 * - 1903 Malines, Rue Notre-Dame, 40 [Onze-Lieve-Vrouwstraat]
1902 * - 1905 Louvain, Rue de Diest (corner of Rue L. Vanderkelen) [Diestsche Straat]
1904 Charleroi, Rue de La Montagne, 36
1897 * - 1904 Liège, Passage Lemonnier, 22<97-00> then 21<01-03>
1899 - 1900 Bruxelles, Boulevard Anspach, 8 (Passage des Postes)
1901 * - 1906 Bruxelles, Rue Neuve, 109<01-04> then 169<04-06>
1901 ca Bruxelles - Ixelles, Chaussée d'Ixelles, 50
1901 ca Namur, Grand'Place
1902 * Gand, Rue du Soleil, 3 [Zonstraat]
1902 * - 1903 Malines, Rue Notre-Dame, 40 [Onze-Lieve-Vrouwstraat]
1902 * - 1905 Louvain, Rue de Diest (corner of Rue L. Vanderkelen) [Diestsche Straat]
1904 Charleroi, Rue de La Montagne, 36
Exhibitions
Genres / subject matter
Techniques
Bibliography/Webography
Context
Affiliations
Management
Record source
DIRECTORY_1997#5120
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation/revision
SFJ revised 6.1.2018; SFJ revised 9.6.2020 based on information supplied by M. Demaeght; SFJ revised 17.6.2021 based on information supplied by Pool Andries; MD revised 25.6.2021 partially based on information supplied by Leen Engelen; MD revised 20.10.2020, 14.6.2021, 15.6.2021, 16.6.2021, 22.6.2021 & 25.6.2021