A Wallet Full of Travel Memories
With summer just around the corner and now that it’s “allowed” again, we’re getting the urge to travel! How did that actually work back in Cuypers’s day? From his early years on, Pierre traveled by train, omnibus, steamboat, small boat, on foot, by cart, or by manure wagon. He also saw the first cars on the road.
Although traveling wasn’t always easy, he made his way throughout Europe. Trips for work, with friends, or with colleagues were quite common. He visited the World’s Fairs in London and Paris and attended various architectural conferences. Meanwhile, he energetically built an invisible network of future clients and prominent figures.
His sketchbooks fill up with every trip. He draws buildings, architectural details, flowers, and animals. Cuypers buys hundreds of photographs of monuments, works of art, and buildings. His collection is diverse. He brings back not only images of medieval churches and castles, but everything that fascinates him. Together with his sketches, they serve as a memento of each journey. But they also provide an inspiring starting point for a new commission.
The sketches and photographs were collected along the way in his travel portfolio. Today, this portfolio is on display at the Cuypershuis, in the “Op Reis” (On a Journey) exhibition space.
