Marie Abts-Ermens (10 April 1767 in

Kortenberg Kortenberg (; ) is a Belgium, Belgian municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant, about halfway between the cities of Brussels and Leuven. The municipality comprises the subdivisions or ...

– 11 September 1853 in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

) was a Belgian

seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable d ...

, best remembered for sewing together the first version of the

Flag of Belgium The national flag of the Kingdom of Belgium is a Tricolour (flag), tricolour consisting of three equal vertical bands displaying the national colours: black, yellow, and red. The colours were taken from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Brabant, a ...

on 26 August 1830. On May 8, 1802, she married François Abts, a ribbon maker residing at the

Grand-Place The (French language, French, ; "Grand Square"; also used in English) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ; "Big Market") is the central Town square, square of Brussels, Belgium. It is surrounded by opulent Baroque architecture, Baroque guildhalls of ...

in Brussels, who was ten years younger than her. By 1830, the couple owned a haberdashery at the corner of Rue de la Colline and Rue Marché aux Herbes in Brussels. During the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

, while Brussels was in turmoil, Lucien Jottrand and

Édouard Ducpétiaux Antoine Édouard Ducpétiaux (29 June 1804, Brussels – 21 July 1868, Brussels) was a Belgian journalist and social reformer. In 1827 he obtained his doctorate from the University of Ghent, being admitted to the bar in Brussels during the follow ...

, journalists at ''Courrier des Pays-Bas'', asked Mrs. Abts to make a flag in

Brabantian Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to: Place names in Europe Belgium * Province of Brabant, which in 1995 was split up into two provinces and an autonomous region: ** Flemish B ...

colors (black, yellow, and red). At that time, the flag had horizontal stripes, not vertical ones. On August 26, 1830, this flag replaced the orange cockade of the

Dutch monarchy The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the country's charter and constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and abdication; the roles and duties of the monarch; the formalities of communica ...

on the façade of the

Brussels Town Hall The Town Hall (, ; , ) of the City of Brussels is a landmark building and the seat of that municipality of Brussels, Belgium. It is located on the south side of the Grand-Place, Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square), opposite the Goth ...

, which had initially been replaced by the

French flag The national flag of France () is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured blue ( hoist side), white, and red. The design was adopted after the French Revolution, whose revolutionaries were influenced by the horizontally striped r ...

as a tribute to the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

. Marie Abts was 63 years old at the time. Her contribution was immortalized in 1926 by the painter Emile Vermeersch. Two paintings, which dramatizes the scene, are preserved at the

Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (; ), also known as the Royal Military Museum (; ), is a military museum that occupies the two northernmost halls of the historic complex in the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark in Br ...

and at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels. A commemorative plaque is also visible on a building at 85 Rue du Marché aux Herbes, near the Grand-Place in Brussels.

References

1767 births 1853 deaths Belgian designers People from Kortenberg {{Belgium-bio-stub