Distiller
Eau de vie distillation is a long-standing tradition in Luxembourg. Apart from the few large distilleries, it was above all farmers who kept little distilleries in many of the villages across the country.
Over the last 150 years, the number of distilleries in Luxembourg has continued to diminish. In 1865, there were still 2011 distilleries, compared to only 153 in 2000.
Miller
“Müller”, the German word for miller is one of the most common surnames in Luxembourg. This underlines the importance of the job in the past.
Around 1900, Luxembourg had 250 mills whose main purpose was to produce flour. It was only after the Second World War that the smaller mills began to disappear.
Cobbler
At the end of the 19th century, there was a cobbler’s workshop in almost every village.
Everyone needed shoes, and most needed two pairs. The first were only worn for important occasions and to go to Sunday Mass, and the second were for working and daily life.
In 1907, Luxembourg had 1015 workshops keeping 1267 cobblers busy. With the appearance of shoe factories at the beginning of the 20th century, the local cobbler was soon reduced to winning his bread with only shoe repairs.
Wheelwright
The wheelwright’s main job was to make carts and carriages, as well as their wooden wheels. 19th century Luxembourg was predominantly farm land and each farmer had at least one cart.
Following industrialisation and the appearance of cars, as well as steel wheels, the classic job of wheelwright has disappeared.
Trained in Belgium at the Académie royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and at the Ecole des Arts in Ixelles, he has specialised in medieval techniques. Jacques Doppée is inspired by nature and has a predilection for landscapes and beach scenes, but he also creates stylized subjects as well as plants and insects represented in a graphic and meticulous way. As for postage stamps, he has already created several stamps for Post offices in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Faroe Islands.
