From Liège to the World

To reach a global customer base, Fabrique Nationale, the Belgian gunmaker renowned for producing the Browning brand, translated its advertising materials early on outside of Belgium. As the arms market boomed at the beginning of the 20th century, firms embraced new advertising methods, prospecting for clients and partners through meticulously designed catalogues issued in thousands of copies, sometimes in multiple languages. Firearms manufacturers boasted of their ability to communicate in various languages through their agent networks. In the EU-GUNS project, our international research group will explore the archives of several arms-producing districts such as Liège in Belgium, Eibar in Spain, Brescia in Italy and Saint-Étienne in France. Our goal is to examine how gunmakers integrated both national and global markets into their brand strategies during an era marked by strong nationalism, increasing consumer power and a growing appeal of global brands.

[Sources: Armes et Cartouches, Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre, Herstal-les-Liége-Belgique]