Bread & Roses is cheating

For the virtual expo Bread & Roses is cheating we invited friendly heritage institutions to share special pieces from their own collections that, in their opinion, resonate with the meaning of the legendary slogan behind the magazine's name:We want bread and we want roses too'.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, that powerful slogan has symbolized social justice worldwide. Bread refers to the right to fair wages and economic security. Roses represent everything that makes life more than mere survival: culture, nature, education, beauty, freedom, and equality. Together, they express a desire for a dignified and just existence. An aspiration that is just as relevant today as it was then.

Bread & Roses is cheating brings together a multifaceted selection of objects, images, documents, and stories thanks to the enthusiastic cooperation of numerous heritage institutions.

That the Ypres City Archives chose these photos needs little explanation. The demand for an eight-hour workday was a cry for help for more humanity, more free time, and more of life. The core message of Labour Day, in other words.

The photos show the celebration of May 1st in 1945 in the center of Ypres, a moment when that message was particularly pressing.

(Collection Ypres City Archives, Hector Viaene Fund, 174 and 175)

The black-and-white photos show the procession on May 1, 1945 in Ypres. A banner is being carried with the inscription: "Long live May 1 – High Day of Labour." The first photo (174) was taken in the Boterstraat. The second (175) was taken on the Neermarkt with a view of the Grote Markt.

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The City Archives acquires, preserves, and disseminates knowledge about the history of Ypres and the Westhoek. Together with other actors, the City Archives forms the memory of the city and the region.

To the website of the Ypres city archive