Norbert Ghisoland

Norbert Ghisoland was born on 17 March 1878 at La Bouverie, a village in the Borinage district of Belgium. His father was a deep-seam coal-miner who wanted a better life for his sons: photography for one and carpentry for the other. When the photographer was killed in an accident, Norbert, the carpenter, took his place. In 1902, aged 24, he moved to another village called Frameries, a stone's throw from La Bouverie, and opened his photographer's studio at 43 Grand'Rue. Behind the studio's two display windows was his family home, his studio and his darkroom. He would live and work here until his death on 2 November 1939.