Early Nineteenth Century Bohemianism in Antwerp: The Unpublished Archives of the St Luybrecht Guild

Abstract

The notion of Bohemianism, usually associated with the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, is extended to apply to early nineteenth century Flemish authors and artists, e. g. the St Luybrecht Guild in Antwerp and its leader Theodoor Van Ryswyck. Focussing on the Archives of the St Luybrecht Guild, an album with pornographic and scatological texts, unknown or deliberately concealed in puritan nineteenth and twentieth century Flanders, the Luybrecht writings and activities are brought to light, and linked to the European concept of Bohemianism. The importance of public houses and taverns in early nineteenth century cultural life in Antwerp is also investigated.