Bourgondische beeldtaal - De visuele representatie van de Bourgondische eetcultuur op briefhoofden van Maastrichtse voedselbedrijven (1850–2010)
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2025-07-10
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nl
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Abstract
Maastricht is known as a ‘Burgundian city’ – an image associated with conviviality, gastronomy, and
hospitality. However, it is unclear where this ‘burgundian’* relationship with food culture comes from
and when it first emerged. This study examines how Maastricht's so-called ‘burgundian’ identity was
visually represented by food companies and catering establishments in the period 1850-2010, with a
specific focus on the imagery used on letterheads. The aim of the research is to gain insight into the
ways in which entrepreneurs communicated aspects such as hospitality, gastronomy, and conviviality
through design—and how this visual language contributed to the cultural identity of the city.
Based on a qualitative analysis with Atlas.ti, in which letterheads were coded both deductively
and inductively, stylistic characteristics, patterns, and recurring visual elements were identified in order
to establish connections between design and Maastricht's ‘burgundian’ identity. This analysis was
supplemented with literature on cultural history, marketing, communication, and semiotics, as well as
archival material from sources such as the archives of the tourist office. The research shows that the idea
of a ‘burgundian’ food culture in Maastricht only gained significance in the second half of the twentieth
century, as part of a deliberately created marketing image. Besides this result, the analysis showed that
food companies and catering establishments used ‘burgundian’ visual language often in combination
with elements of Maastricht heraldry. Through a combination of historical, visual, and semiotic analysis
methods, this research offers new insights into how regional identity is constructed and visualized. In
doing so, it contributes to cultural history, art history, communication science, and (local/regional)
heritage formation.
*) Here spelled with a small ‘b’ to distinguish it from the historical region of Burgundy
Keywords: branding, Burgundian identity, corporate identity, digital humanities, food culture,
gastronomy, letterheads, Maastricht, regional identity, semiotics
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Faculteit der Letteren