Our collection boasts unique heritage pieces and exceptional sources. Discover some hidden treasures and the fascinating stories behind them – all available digitally in our catalog.
Amsab-ISG has built up considerable expertise in digitizing newspapers and archives over the past few years. This section also provides insights into a selection of these sources, which are full-text searchable wherever possible.
Discover Studio Stone – a remarkable digital archive that puts the versatile work of the forgotten interwar photographers Cami and Sasha Stone back in the spotlight. This collection offers a thematic overview of their oeuvre and gathers rarely seen photographs and documents, made accessible through IIIF where possible. A unique overview of their artistic world and legacy.
Louis Deltour (1927–1998) was a Walloon painter and socially engaged artist who dedicated his life to social and political themes. Driven by a deep connection to working-class backgrounds, he created monumental, figurative art about struggle, solidarity, and everyday life, far removed from the commercial art world. As co-founder of Forces Murales and later Art et travail, he consciously chose public spaces like community centers and schools to make his work accessible to everyone.
View a selection of his impressive work in the Amsab-ISG collection here.
Camille Huysmans (1871–1968) was one of the most influential Belgian socialist politicians of the 20th century. He held numerous important positions: mayor of Antwerp, minister of Fine Arts and Education, prime minister, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and minister of state. He also made a name for himself internationally, including as secretary of the Second International (1905–1922).
The Huysmans archive reflects the richness and diversity of his career. It contains thousands of documents and photographs, supplemented by an extensive library collection, and covers a wide range of themes. Read more about Huysmans and his exceptional archive below, or consult it directly via our online catalog.
Variétés was one of many magazines published by Paul-Gustaaf Van Hecke, with varying degrees of success. Van Hecke maintained close contacts with key figures in modern photography from the 1920s, such as Man Ray, André Kertész, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Germaine Krull. The collection he assembled for Variétés was remarkably well preserved and eventually, more or less by chance, ended up at Amsab-ISG.
During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the socialist movement initiated various solidarity actions with Republican Spain. Among other things, children were brought from the war zones to be placed with Belgian host families. Amsab-ISG holds a collection of drawings in which the children depict the traumatic experience of the civil war in their own way.
Amsab-ISG owns over 800 flags. They reflect the rich diversity of associations from the late 19th century to around the 1960s. The various unions also distinguished themselves with their often beautiful flags, made of fine silk and bright colors, featuring images and symbols referring to the profession or region they represent. Amsab-ISG preserves, among other things, the flags of the very first Belgian unions, namely the Fraternal Society of Weavers and the Society of Distressed Spinners of Ghent.
In 2018, the Municipality of Beersel entrusted Amsab-ISG with the impressive oeuvre of artist Wilchar. With this collection, steeped in social engagement and sharp social criticism, we aim to continue to highlight the work and legacy of this remarkable figure.
View a selection of his oeuvre here or delve into the complete overview of his work in our online catalogue.
Achilles De Maertelaere, also known by his pseudonym Bentos , painted this painting around 1906. Bentos was a socially engaged artist and socialist. The painting was carried in a large national demonstration in Brussels on August 15, 1906, and was likely created specifically for that occasion.
The painting "3 x 8" or "The Three Eights" was probably painted around 1910 by Gustave De Keukelaere, an artist from Ghent. It hung in the main hall of Ons Huis on the Vrijdagmarkt in Ghent and can now be found at Floréal in Blankenberge.
From 1931 until his death in 1939, Frits Van den Berghe, one of Belgium's greatest expressionist and surrealist painters, was the house cartoonist for the newspaper Vooruit .
For the weekly magazine Koekoek , he created sharp caricatures against fascism and Nazism. Together with Richard Minne, he also created the witty Ghent comic series " Brieven van Pierken" (Letters from Pierken ). In addition to his work in newspapers and magazines, Amsab-ISG also preserves his original drawings and several impressive posters, signed "FREE."
In 1980, there was much controversy surrounding the eviction of residents from the Pand in the Patershol in Ghent. Besides all the protests against this, a single featuring two songs by the late Jan Emmery and Walter De Buck was also available for purchase. The single, a collector's item, is in the Amsab-ISG collection.
Amsab-ISG owns approximately 15,000 posters, more than 10,000 of which are available online. Among them are some absolute gems, including the inaugural poster for the Maison du Peuple in Brussels. It is a magnificent lithograph, measuring 125 by 90 cm, designed by Jules Van Biesbroeck in a beautiful Art Nouveau style, perfectly complementing the Maison de Peuple itself. The Brussels People's House was one of architect Horta's masterpieces, unfortunately demolished in 1965.
A few years ago, a collection of original woodblocks by Frans Masereel was discovered quite by chance in the basement of a Zurich publishing house. Thanks to Joris van Parys, author of the excellent biography "Masereel," awarded the Golden Owl for non-fiction, they were transferred to Amsab-ISG in 2003. The collection comprises some 300 woodblocks and the same number of galvanos (copper replicas intended for printing large volumes).
These include the blocks from "25 Images de la passion d'un homme," the only two remaining blocks from "My Living Hours," and the seven remaining blocks from "Debout les morts. Résurrection infernale," all absolute masterpieces by Masereel. The series "Debout les morts. Résurrection infernale" was recognized as a masterpiece by the Minister of Culture in 2014.
The 1930s come to life in the film "Dagblad Vooruit." This 1933 publicity film depicts the workings of the Vooruit newspaper.
The screenplay was written by Paul-Gustave Van Hecke, and the Dutch group Visie produced it. The influence of Russian editing techniques, the surrealist and expressionist photography of Variétés, and the French and German avant-garde is evident, making this film a cinematic gem far ahead of its time.
De Wereld Morgen among others , have been digitized and can now be admired online.
The drawings were in the archives of NCOS (predecessor 11.11.11). NCOS published the magazine De Wereld Morgen (predecessor to MO* magazine ). Cartoons by Gejo, Jan van den Bergh, Pévé, and Yannick Vancolen appeared in this magazine. These beautiful drawings both reflected on and criticized the current events of the time.
After Hitler came to power, the German singer and actor Ernst Busch spent some time in Belgium. He stayed with the Kleinhaus family in Antwerp, among others. His father, Kleinhaus, a fervent admirer of Busch, financed several recordings in a Parisian studio. War broke out, and Busch vanished without a trace. The masters were never collected, so the studio sent them to the client in Antwerp. With the knowledge of a customs officer, they remained hidden in a corner of the customs warehouse during the war, under the watchful eye of the Nazis. Years later, his daughter Antoinette Kleinhaus discovered that Busch had survived the war. By then, the records had long been reissued. She donated them to Amsab-ISG in the 1980s, along with her incredible story. They are beautiful, captivating versions of some classics from the Spanish Civil War.
Amsab-ISG preserves a number of beautiful guilder books from the socialist movement, three of which have been fully digitized.
The Royal Library of Belgium and Amsab-ISG are making one of their most important newspaper collections, that of the daily newspaper Vooruit , available digitally. The newspaper, covering the period 1884-1950, can be consulted in the Amsab-ISG reading room, as well as in those of the Royal Library and Ghent University Library. The period 1884-1918 is also available online on the websites of the Royal Library and Amsab-ISG.
Volksrecht was the weekly magazine of the Belgian Workers' Party (BWP) in the Kortrijk district. It was published between 1901 and 1934. You can consult the almost complete series digitally.
Le Mouvement Syndical Belge was the official newsletter of the BWP's Syndicate Committee (SK) during the interwar period. Its purpose was to publish reports and announcements from and about the SK. Its primary target audience was workers.
the Korrespondentieblad was the official newsletter of the Trade Union Committee (SK) of the BWP. Its purpose was to publish reports and announcements from and about the SK. Its target audience was primarily workers.
The Belgian Trade Union Movement was the official newsletter of the Trade Union Committee (SK) of the BWP during the interwar period. The purpose of the magazine was to publish reports and announcements from and about the SK. Its primary target audience was workers.
the Journal des Correspondances was the official newsletter of the Trade Union Committee (SK) of the BWP. Its purpose was to publish reports and announcements from and about the SK. Its target audience was its affiliated workers.
Het Werkverbond (1860-1862) was the first press organ of the Ghent labor movement. The paper appeared from June 1860 to April 1862.
De Volkswil was the official newsletter of the Belgian Workers' Party (BWP) and, after World War II, of the Belgian Socialist Party (BSP) in the Leuven district. The newspaper's long existence (1893-1951) makes it an excellent source for studying socialism in Leuven and the surrounding area.
De Verbroedering was the newspaper of the Socialist Party in the Oudenaarde-Ronse district. It was published in Ronse and first appeared in June 1899.
De Ontwaking was the weekly magazine of the Belgian Workers' Party (BWP) in the Roesselare-Tielt district. It launched on October 3, 1920. Henri Dewaele, A. Van Keersbulck, and A. Dierkens were successively the editors-in-chief. The last issue appeared on April 28, 1934. In May 1934, the magazine was incorporated as a regional edition of Voor Allen under the title Nieuws uit Roeselare-Tielt.
The Textielarbeider was the magazine of the Belgian Textile Federation, the socialist trade union for textile workers.
L'Ouvrier Diamantaire was the newspaper of the French diamond federations from 1920 to 1939. This newspaper systematically reported on the situation in the diamond industry in France and internationally.
Anyone interested in the history of Antwerp's diamond industry will certainly find original information here. 170 issues are available online, and full text is available through our online catalog.
De Vlasbewerker (The Flax Worker) was the magazine of the Socialist Association of Flax Workers of Ghent. It was first published in 1896 by Karel Hannick and Karel Beerblock.
Wegwijs/En Route is the magazine for truckers, or the Road Transport & Logistics sector of the Belgian Transport Workers' Union (BTB). It has been published since 1988 and is now available online.
The minutes of the governing bodies of the Samenwerkende Maatschappij Vooruit Gent are indispensable for research into the oldest and most important Belgian cooperative and, more generally, the Belgian and even European cooperative movement.
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