Excursions pittoresques [et] historiques à travers le pays de Liége et ses alentours 1881

Editor: So, here we have "Excursions pittoresques [et] historiques à travers le pays de Liège et ses alentours", a print on paper from 1881, by Gustave Thiriart. It looks like the title page of a travel journal or book. It’s simple, very classic, almost austere. What leaps out at you when you see this? Curator: Oh, the promise of adventure, most certainly. That small, earnest locomotive at the bottom - it's like a beckoning finger, isn't it? Inviting us into the land of Liège through a nineteenth-century lens. The typography itself seems to whisper of steam and industry, progress hand-in-hand with historical intrigue. Does that resonate with you at all? Editor: Absolutely! I like that tension, progress versus history. It makes me think, were these excursions for locals wanting to explore their own backyard, or for tourists coming to see something "new?" Curator: A most perceptive question! I'd imagine both, dear. This was an age of expanding horizons, fueled by the railways and a burgeoning middle class with time and perhaps, a thirst for discovering quaint corners. It speaks of romanticism meeting reality – picture grand landscapes from a train carriage, or the delightful collision between industry and untouched vistas. Editor: It makes me wonder about the actual journeys these books inspired. Curator: Exactly! And what a privilege, isn’t it? To hold a tangible invitation to explore yesteryear through someone else's eyes – someone equally charmed by a sense of historical significance meeting the appeal of venturing forward into a territory both near, and seemingly uncharted. A journey not only in miles, but thought as well.