Bidprentjes

These colorful ‘Bidprentjes’ or prayer cards were created by Philippus Jacobus Brepols, a printer and publisher active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Printed images like these were widely circulated in Europe during this period, particularly within Catholic communities, to aid in private devotion. Notice how each scene depicts a different saint or episode from the life of Christ, offering a glimpse into the religious imagination of the time. The iconography would have been immediately recognizable. The cards’ accessibility meant that religious imagery wasn't confined to the church. Prayer cards became intimate objects, carried on the body, perhaps tucked away in a pocket or a worn prayer book. They represent a powerful meeting point between the public and the personal, between the divine and the everyday.