Beware of the Rug: If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 749

Thursday, February 5, 2026

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 749

Bruges – Entrée du Béguinage – Brugge – Ingang vn het Begijnhof, ca 1920s

This unused postcard has a perforated top edge indicating that it was in a booklet of souvenir cards. The black and white photograph featured on the card shows the entry way and part of a bridge that leads into a Beguinage or what might be termed a retreat or commune center for women. The location is identified as Bruges, the largest city in West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The dominant language in the area is Dutch even though the card’s title puts the French title first. The card has a divided back. No information blurb or photographer is provided. There is the number 14 at the lower left corner on the reverse. That may indicate that it was number 14 in the booklet. The logo was used in the 1920s and is the means to estimate the date of the picture. ARFO postcards were based in Bruxelles, Belgium.

A close-up of a logo

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Logo of ARFO postcards, used in the 1920s

Who or what were beguines? They were religious women who lived in a community but did not take vows or retire from the world. A superior, called a mistress or prioress, provided guidance. Sometimes the Beguinage was a single dwelling suitable for a small number of women but some were large complexes with courtyards and several houses. The community was mostly self-sufficient with a central chapel or church, a brewery, a bakery, and a hospital as well as a farm. Beguinages originated as early as the 12^th century and existed in cities and towns in the Low Countries until the 18^th century. Today the only preserved Beguinage in Bruges is Ten Wijngaerde. The picture on the card is only called the Beguinage of Bruges. Besides the one in Belgium, there are others in the Netherlands and Luxembourg that are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage sites.