Congo Belge 1949

This 1949 original poster titled Congo Belge, created by French illustrator Laboulais, offers a striking example of mid-20th-century colonial-era educational and promotional art. Published by the Belgian Ministry of Colonies (Ministère des Colonies de Belgique), the poster was intended to promote the economic and cultural importance of the Belgian Congo at a time when European powers still held extensive overseas territories.

Created just a decade before Congolese independence, this map-poster reflects the Eurocentric worldview and didactic aims of the period. It was likely used in schools, exhibitions, and administrative offices to showcase the region's agricultural wealth, natural resources, and industrial potential as seen from the colonial perspective.

Laboulais’s work is part of a larger body of educational posters produced in postwar Europe, where such images were used not only for geographic orientation but also to legitimize colonial presence through idealized and sanitized portrayals of overseas territories.

Today, this piece stands as a historical artifact—an opportunity to examine the ways graphic design was employed to shape public perception and influence cultural narratives in the context of colonialism. It is collected for both its historical significance and as a reflection of its time.

Map - Africa - Economy - Colony

Banque de la Société Générale de Belgique

Good condition, traces of folds