(MARRIAGE). ~ Billets de Mariage. [Low Countries/ modern day Belgium, c. 1794-1837].
32 different cards (including some duplicates, 41 cards in all), various sizes (largest c. 115 × 75 mm, smallest c. 80 × 60 mm), a few (mainly the earlier ones) with decorative typographic borders. Some early annotation, sometimes adding dates, occasional spots and creasing.
A collection of billets de mariage — small letterpress printed announcement cards sent out to friends and neighbours, as was customary in this period. Where a place is specified most here come from Mechelen/Malines, Antwerp or Brussels and some bear early annotation in what appears to be the same hand, adding dates and ages, suggesting they were collected at the time.
Ten have printed or manuscript dates, the others are typographically similar and probably date from the same period. The billets could be issued in the name of the parents, or by both the bride or groom. In one case, there is an example of a billet printed in 1807 for each of the latter: ‘Mlle. Marie-Anne-Thêrèse Scheppers a l’honneur d’annoncer son mariage avec Mr. Louis-Jean Merghelynck, Lieutenant de la Gendarmerie Impériale’, with its counterpart: ‘Mr Louis-Jean Merghelynck, Lieutenant de la Gendarmerie Impériale, a l’honneur d’annoncer son mariage avec Mademoiselle Marie-Anne-Thérèse Scheppers’ (the two cards with variant borders).
The earliest dated card reads: ‘Madame la douairière De Petit née Du Jardin, a l’honneur d’annoncer le mariage de sa fille cadette avec Monsieur de Torri, capitaine au corps-franc d’Odonell, au service de S. M. Impériale & Royale &c. &c. De l’imprimerie de P.J. Hanicq, à Malines, 1794 [the date of 17 February added in contemporary manuscript]’.
Another reveals an unexpected and intriguing conjugal story: ‘Monsieur Adolphe d’Aoust a l’honneur de faire pars de son mariage avec Madame de Trazegnie, ci-devant Chanoinesse de Mons’. Genealogical records confirm that monsieur d’Aoust (who was also a Marquis) did indeed marry the former canonness of Mons, Marie Josèphe Robertine Hyacinthe Albertine de Trazegnies, in May 1813.