1920 Géonafte Geological & Petroleum Company Letter – Selys Longchamps Archive

Original 1920 Belgian corporate correspondence from Compagnie Géologique et Pétrolifère GÉONAFTE S.A., addressed to Edgar de Selys Longchamps at the Château de Halloy near Ciney, Belgium.

Dated 17 May 1920, this typed letter was issued by GÉONAFTE – Compagnie Géologique et Pétrolifère, a Belgian limited company with its registered office at 88 Rue de la Montagne, Brussels, and accounting services at 24 Rue Forgeur, Liège.

The letter refers to a company meeting and formal convocation. It asks the recipient to note that the meeting of the company, mentioned in a previous notice dated 13 May, was to take place on Wednesday 19 May 1920.

The document is signed on behalf of an administrator-delegate, making it an interesting example of early 20th-century Belgian corporate administration.

The original envelope is also included. Printed with the GÉONAFTE company heading, it is addressed to:

Monsieur Edgar de Selys Longchamps
Château de Halloy
par Ciney

The envelope bears a Belgian postage stamp, postal cancellations and the prominent printed marking “EXPRESS”, adding further interest for collectors of postal and industrial history.

Together, the letter and envelope provide a fascinating glimpse into Belgian geological and petroleum enterprise, corporate administration and private business correspondence in the immediate post–First World War period.

Included

• Original typed GÉONAFTE company letter
• Original company envelope
• Original Belgian postage stamp and postal markings
• Express mail marking

Dimensions

• Letter: 27.5 × 21 cm
• Envelope: 15.5 × 12.5 cm

Condition

Original antique documents showing normal age-related wear, including folds, toning, minor marks and small edge imperfections. The envelope shows postal wear and small tears along the upper edge consistent with its age and use.

Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description.

Date: 1920
Origin: Brussels / Liège / Château de Halloy, Belgium
Language: French
Original documents — not reproductions.

Provenance

From The Selys Longchamps Archive, a group of original early 20th-century letters, invoices, receipts and commercial papers connected with members of the Selys Longchamps family.

Together, these documents offer a glimpse into the family’s private, commercial and estate-related correspondence.