Catalog Level
Items (Cataloging Focus)

Title Proper/Title Text
Esp. 1911 - Stupendo stand dell'amido Remy

Date of Publication/Creation Date
1911 ca.

Inscription Language
Italian (Language)

Descriptive Note Text

This black-and-white photo postcard shows the stand for the Remy brand of rice starch. In 1855 miller Eduard Remy bought a watermill in Wijgmaal, near the city of Leuven in Belgium and started milling rice grains to extract rice starch. This natural starch was broadly used to give clothing a crease-free finish, and to protect the fibres from dirt and wear. By the beginning of the 20th century, Remy was a world leader in the production and distribution of rice starch.  

Over the next 100 years, the company evolved into two separate branches: the industrial applications of rice starch in food, pharmaceutical, and non-food applications, and the consumer brand Remy, the expert in caring for clothes. The latter was bought by the Claes family and associates in 2010. 

The stand shows a laundry worker in the process of using the starch on a precious lace piece. Boxes of Remy starch are visible in the foreground, showing the white lion head that was the Remy's logo.

Related Archival Material

Current Repository/Geographic Location
Cristina Della Coletta Private Collection (San Diego, USA)

Current Repository Numbers
CDC-PC-STAN-0002