Porseleinkaarten

Ghent, Brussels, and Bruges served as bustling centers of the porcelain card industry. In the 1870s, the technique fell out of use because it was found that the color powders and lead oxide used in the process posed health risks. To make porcelain cards, cardboard was coated with a mixture of kaolin and white lead, then printed using lithography. The use of specific raw materials and color powders gave the porcelain card its characteristic white gloss and texture. The printing technique was mainly used for making business cards for shops, factories, professionals, associations, schools, and the like, but also for menus and concert programs.