Sources & credits

This site sets out to preserve and pass on a memory. It draws on the writings of Léon Harmel, on his biographies (Guitton, Coffey, Saucourt-Harmel) and on the standard reference entries.

Note on method the disputed dates

The sources do not always agree. Here are the main points of divergence and the choice made on this site. In the texts, we also point out the comparisons that reflect our own reading.

Birth: 17 February 1829 at La Neuville-lès-Wasigny, baptised on 8 March 1829: attested by his baptism record, held at the Archives départementales des Ardennes (50J/NEUVILLE-LES-WASIGNY[LA] 2).
Date of death: 25 November 1915, in Nice, at about half past two in the morning, according to the account of his last days published in Nice that same year (Le “Bon Père” Léon Harmel); so too the Diocese of Reims and the New Catholic Encyclopedia. The BnF and Wikidata wrongly give 15 November.
Marriage: 1 September 1852, at Rethel, according to Léon Harmel's letter on his wife's last moments (Souvenir de famille, 1915). Some sources, including Wikipedia, give 1853.
Franciscan Third Order: 1860 according to Guitton, 1861 or 1862 according to other sources; we write “around 1860”.
Factory Council: Professional Council in 1883, renamed Factory Council in 1893 according to several studies; the Maitron gives other stages (1875, 1885, 1893).
Pilgrimages: About 1,800 people in 1887 and 10,000 in 1889 (Coffey, New Catholic Encyclopedia). Some sources wrongly mention a pilgrimage in 1890.
Destruction of the mill: 5 or 10 October 1918, depending on the source. A first tall chimney had already been dynamited in July 1918, according to the caption of a postcard published by Harmel frères.
End of the company: Bankruptcy filing in 1977; the cooperative that took over closed in 1979, 1980 or 1984, depending on the source.
Workforce: About 700 workers around 1900; the figures of 1,200 to 1,500 sometimes put forward seem too high.
Beatification: Cause opened in 1938, relaunched by the Diocese of Reims in 2025. The process is under way: we therefore do not yet use an official title such as “Servant of God”.

Writings by Léon Harmel

Léon Harmel, Manuel d'une corporation chrétienne, Tours, Alfred Mame et fils, 1877 (2nd ed. 1879).
Available on Gallica.
Léon Harmel (ed.), Catéchisme du patron, élaboré avec le concours d'un grand nombre de théologiens, Paris, offices of the newspaper La Corporation, 1889.
Available on Gallica.
Léon Harmel, Congrès des patrons du Nord à Mouveaux, les 15 et 16 juillet 1894, extract from the shorthand record, 1894.
Digitised by the Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon.
Léon Harmel, La Démocratie chrétienne. Discours prononcé le 5 juin 1897 au congrès ouvrier de Tours, Paris, X. Rondelet, 1897.
Available on Gallica.
Léon Harmel, Lettres de Léon Harmel à ses enfants. Voyage à Rome, février 1899, Chambéry, Imprimerie générale de Savoie, 1899.
Available on Gallica.
Léon Harmel, La Démocratie dans l'usine. Le Conseil d'usine du Val des Bois, lecture given in Rome, Roubaix, 1903.
Léon Harmel, Vœux du Bon Père Léon Harmel à ses petits-enfants, Val-des-Bois, 22 April 1906.
Private collection.

Studies and biographies

Émeric Saucourt-Harmel, Léon Harmel (1829-1915). L'origine catholique de la paix sociale dans le monde contemporain, Paris, Salvator, preface by Mgr Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, 2025.
The most recent biography; awarded the Prix Humanisme chrétien 2026.
Joan L. Coffey, Léon Harmel: Entrepreneur as Catholic Social Reformer, Notre Dame (Indiana), University of Notre Dame Press, 2003.
Georges Guitton, SJ, Léon Harmel, 1829-1915, Paris, Spes, 2 volumes, 1927.
1928 edition partly viewable on Gallica: 15% of the pages (the book is still in copyright).
Georges Guitton, SJ, La Vie ardente et féconde de Léon Harmel, Paris, Spes, 1929-1930.
Œuvre des cercles catholiques d'ouvriers, Le Val-des-Bois et ses institutions ouvrières, le 21 septembre 1890, Paris, Secrétariat de l'Œuvre des cercles, 1890.
Brochure written for the visit of Bishop Doutreloux of Liège; copy digitised by the Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon.
Mgr Charles de T'Serclaes, Le pape Léon XIII, Desclée de Brouwer, 3 volumes, 1894-1906.
Account of the workers' pilgrimages; engraved portrait of Léon Harmel in volume II.
Cousin-Henrat, Étude historique sur Warmeriville, Reims, 1900.
Chapter on Val-des-Bois, with drawings by Abbé A. Chevallier and portraits of the Good Father and his sons.
Anonymous, Notice sur Jacques-Ernest Harmel, 1830-1885, Reims, Imprimerie Jeanne-d'Arc, for the general holiday reunion of 6 September 1913.
Private collection.
Joseph Dassonville, La “Famille ouvrière” du Val-des-Bois : un idéal d'éducation populaire, un effort de réalisation, un faisceau d'institutions, Paris, Maison bleue; Reims, Action populaire, 1914.
Available on Gallica.
A friend of the Good Father, Le “Bon Père” Léon Harmel, Nice, “À Jeanne d'Arc”, with the address given by the Bishop of Nice at the funeral, 1915.
An account of his last days. Private collection.
Anonymous, Souvenir de famille. Léon Harmel, le Bon Père du Val-des-Bois, Dijon, Imprimerie de l'Union typographique, 1915.
Letters of the Good Father, wills and family speeches, collected after his death. Private collection.
Bishop Joseph-Marie Tissier, Léon Harmel. Les trois grands amours d'une grande vie sociale : l'ouvrier, le pape, le Christ, Paris, Spes, Comité du centenaire de Léon Harmel; address delivered in the Basilica of Montmartre, 1929.
Private collection.
Georges Legrand, Un prodigieux animateur du mouvement social catholique : Léon Harmel, “le Bon Père”, Liège, La Pensée catholique, “Études sociales” series, no. 5, published for the centenary of his birth, 1929.
Private collection.
Pierre Trimouille, Léon Harmel et l'usine chrétienne du Val des Bois (1840-1914), Lyon, Centre d'histoire du catholicisme, preface by Annie Kriegel, 1974.
A study based on the mill's archives; full text available online.
Pierre Trimouille, “Léon Harmel et les patrons du Nord: la crise de 1893-1894”, Revue du Nord, vol. 73, no. 290, 1991.
Jean-Marie Mayeur, “Les congrès nationaux de la Démocratie chrétienne à Lyon”, Revue d'histoire moderne et contemporaine, vol. 9, no. 3, 1962.
Jean-Marie Mayeur, “Tiers-ordre franciscain et catholicisme social”, Revue d'histoire de l'Église de France, vol. 70, no. 184, 1984.
André Gueslin, “Le paternalisme revisité”, Genèses, no. 7, 1992.
Pierre Pierrard, L'Église et les ouvriers en France (1840-1940), Paris, Hachette, 1984.
Pierre Pierrard, Les Laïcs dans l'Église de France, Paris, Éditions ouvrières, 1988.
Georges Hoog, Histoire du catholicisme social en France, 1871-1931, Paris, 1946.
Claude Willard, “Les attaques contre Notre-Dame de l'Usine”, Le Mouvement social, no. 57, 1966.
Philippe Levillain, Albert de Mun. Catholicisme français et catholicisme romain du Syllabus au Ralliement, Rome, École française de Rome, 1983.
Full text on Persée.
Peter Heyrman, “Imagining the bon patron catholique”, Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Religions- und Kulturgeschichte, no. 113, 2019.
Anne Jusseaume, “L'encadrement religieux au Val-des-Bois”, Parlement[s], Revue d'histoire politique, no. 33, 2021.
Rosario Marsala, Democrazia e corporazione in Léon Harmel, Soveria Mannelli, Rubbettino, 2021.
Daniel Moulinet, Actions et doctrines sociales des catholiques (1830-1930), Paris, Cerf, 2021.
Dominique Bar and Guy Lehideux, Léon Harmel, apôtre de la doctrine sociale, comic book, Éditions du Triomphe, c. 2009.

Online resources

Archives départementales des Ardennes, Registre paroissial de La Neuville-lès-Wasigny, 1826-1842: acte de baptême de Léon Harmel (8 mars 1829), call number 50J/NEUVILLE-LES-WASIGNY[LA] 2, digitised register.
Archives départementales de la Marne, Fonds de la société Harmel: albums photographiques du Val-des-Bois (1891, 1898, 1900), call numbers 59 J 131, 59 J 132 and 59 J 134, digitised albums; postcards 2 Fi 660.
Archives départementales du Finistère, Lettres de Léon Harmel à Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué, Hersart de La Villemarqué collection, 263 J 2, digitised letters, 1875-1895.
Maitron, Entry “HARMEL Pierre, Louis, Prosper, dit Léon, dit le Bon Père”, Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement ouvrier.
Wikipedia, Léon Harmel, French-language article.
Région Grand Est, Inventaire général, Filature Harmel Frères, dite usine du Val-des-Bois, inventory record IA51000160.
Doctrine sociale catholique, “Témoin de la DSE: Léon Harmel et l'usine chrétienne du Val-des-Bois”, Léo Pavoux, 2026.
Diocèse de Reims, Homélie pour les 110 ans de la mort de Léon Harmel, Reims Cathedral, 25 November 2025.
Meeting de Rimini, Exhibition “Léon Harmel. La profezia di un'impresa”, 21-26 August 2026.
EWTN News, LIVE | Pope Leo XIV at the Rimini Meeting and in the City of Rimini, video of Pope Leo XIV's visit to the Rimini Meeting, 22 August 2026 (the Léon Harmel exhibition from 45 min 34 s).
Aleteia, “Pope Leo spotlights a pioneer of Catholic social doctrine”, 31 August 2026.
France Catholique, “Léon Harmel avait le souci spirituel de ses ouvriers”, interview with Émeric Saucourt-Harmel, 17 September 2026.
Commune de Warmeriville, L'avenue du Val des Bois et le parc Harmel, town hall website.
Comité d'histoire de la Sécurité sociale, “Il y a 90 ans naissaient les allocations familiales”, proceedings of the Grenoble conference, 2006.
Pierre Coulon, La Dignité des hommes, documentary film about Léon Harmel (2 hours), 2011.
Archives départementales de la Marne, Souvenir de famille. Léon Harmel, le bon père du Val-des-Bois, brochure, call number Chp 17359, c. 1915.

Image credits

All the images are in the public domain or published under a free licence. They were downloaded from their source and are hosted with the site. Some have been retouched (restoration, colourisation): the archive original can still be viewed and downloaded in the viewer. Documents from Gallica are reproduced for non-commercial use with the credit “Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF”. See also the gallery.

Image	Author · date	Source	Licence
“Le bon père Léon Harmel” (The Good Father Léon Harmel), in his 80th yearPortraits	Anonymous photographer1908	Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal	Public Domain Mark 1.0
Léon HarmelPortraits	Unknown photographerc. 1905	Harmel family, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
“Le Bon Père Léon Harmel, 80e année, 1908” (The Good Father Léon Harmel, 80th year; postcard)Portraits	Postcard1908	Archives départementales des Ardennes, 8FI 13973, accessed 28 September 2026	Licence Ouverte
“M. Léon Harmel”, engraved portraitPortraits	Wood engraving (unidentified engraver)1894	Mgr de T'Serclaes, Le pape Léon XIII, vol. II, Desclée de Brouwer, 1894 · Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF (copy held by the Institut catholique de Paris)	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
“Le Bon Père (M. Léon Harmel)” (The Good Father)Portraits	Anonymous photographpublished 1900	Cousin-Henrat, Étude historique sur Warmeriville, Reims, 1900 · Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
“M. Félix Harmel”, Léon's sonPortraits	Anonymous photographpublished 1900	Cousin-Henrat, Étude historique sur Warmeriville, Reims, 1900 · Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
“Albert Harmel, 6 janvier 1843, Boulzicourt, † Val-des-Bois, 22 mars 1905”, cousin and brother-in-law of Léon HarmelPortraits	Anonymous photograph1905	Private collection	Public domain
Léon Harmel, “the Good Father”, full lengthPortraits	Anonymous photographpublished 1915	Léon Harmel, « le Bon Père » du Val-des-Bois, retourné à Dieu le 25 novembre 1915 (family memorial booklet)	Public domain
“M. Léon Harmel”, engraved portraitPortraits	Anonymous engravingc. 1896-1897	Congrès national de la démocratie chrétienne, Lyon, 1896 (proceedings)	Public domain
“Le Bon Père. M. Harmel, promoteur, organisateur des pèlerinages ouvriers à Rome” (The Good Father, promoter and organiser of the workers' pilgrimages to Rome, in Le Pèlerin)Portraits	Anonymous photograph16 October 1898	Le Pèlerin, no. 1137, 16 October 1898	Public domain
Baptism record of Pierre Louis Prosper Léon Harmel, born on 17 February 1829Manuscripts & registers	Remi Joseph Culot, priest serving the parish of Saint-Remi, Wasigny8 March 1829	Archives départementales des Ardennes, 50J/NEUVILLE-LES-WASIGNY[LA] 2 (parish register, 1826-1842), accessed 28 September 2026	Licence Ouverte
Letter from Léon Harmel to Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué, 9 April 1875 (first page)Manuscripts & registers	Léon Harmel9 April 1875	Archives départementales du Finistère, 263 J 2 1524 (Hersart de La Villemarqué collection), accessed 28 September 2026	Licence Ouverte (Etalab 2.0)
Léon Harmel's visiting card, annotated in his own hand, 3 November 1885Manuscripts & registers	Léon Harmel3 November 1885	Archives départementales du Finistère, 263 J 2 1545 (Hersart de La Villemarqué collection), accessed 28 September 2026	Licence Ouverte (Etalab 2.0)
Death announcement of Gabrielle Harmel, wife of Gabriel ArdantManuscripts & registers	Imprimerie coopérative de ReimsJuly 1888	Ghent University Library (BIB.GENEA.069169), via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
“Val-des-Bois”, bird's-eye view of the millVal-des-Bois	Drawing by Abbé A. Chevallierpublished 1900	Cousin-Henrat, Étude historique sur Warmeriville, Reims, 1900 · Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
“Vue générale des établissements” (General view of the works, postcard A.13)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1898	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
“Entrée sud de l'usine” (South entrance of the mill, postcard A.1)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1912	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
“Filature de laine peignée” (Combed-wool spinning, postcard A.11)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
“Présentation des enfants” (Presentation of the children, postcard B.3)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1912	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
The Val-des-Bois chapelVal-des-Bois	Old postcard1913	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
“École de garçons” (Boys' school, postcard B.5)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
The union room at the Cercle (postcard B.6)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
“Lavoir chaud” (Heated wash house, postcard B.8)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresafter 1907	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
Members of the Factory Council of the Harmel worksVal-des-Bois	Unknown photographer; plate from Budgett Meakin, Model Factories and Villages (London, 1905)published 1905	Internet Archive	Public domain
“Cité Sainte-Virginie” (Sainte-Virginie workers' housing, postcard B.7)Val-des-Bois	Postcard, Harmel frèresc. 1905-1914	Archives départementales de la Marne, 2 Fi 660/10, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
“L'Usine sur la Suippe” (The mill on the Suippe, postcard A.2)Val-des-Bois	Postcard, Harmel frèresc. 1905-1914	Archives départementales de la Marne, 2 Fi 660/8, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
“Chapelle du Val-des-Bois. Portail” (Val-des-Bois chapel: the doorway)Val-des-Bois	Drawing by Abbé A. Chevallierpublished 1900	Cousin-Henrat, Étude historique sur Warmeriville, Reims, 1900 · Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
“Notre-Dame de l'Usine, priez pour nous” (Our Lady of the Factory, pray for us)Val-des-Bois	Archconfraternity of Our Lady of the Factory and the Workshop, Reims (printed by Dubois-Poplimont)1890s	Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon, SJ SS 477/334, 8 (Numelyo)	Licence Ouverte
“Caisse d'épargne scolaire” (School savings bank)Val-des-Bois	Anonymous photographpublished 1901	Harmel Frères, filateurs, Reims, Imprimerie coopérative, 1901	Public domain
“Salle du syndicat” (The union hall)Val-des-Bois	Anonymous photographpublished 1901	Harmel Frères, filateurs, Reims, Imprimerie coopérative, 1901	Public domain
“École ménagère” (Housekeeping school)Val-des-Bois	Anonymous photographpublished 1901	Harmel Frères, filateurs, Reims, Imprimerie coopérative, 1901	Public domain
“Salle des fileurs” (The spinners' hall)Val-des-Bois	Anonymous photographpublished 1901	Harmel Frères, filateurs, Reims, Imprimerie coopérative, 1901	Public domain
“La Famille P...”, a working family of Val-des-BoisVal-des-Bois	Anonymous photographpublished 1901	Harmel Frères, filateurs, Reims, Imprimerie coopérative, 1901	Public domain
“Fête à l'usine” (A festival at the mill)Val-des-Bois	Anonymous photographpublished 1901	Harmel Frères, filateurs, Reims, Imprimerie coopérative, 1901	Public domain
“Cité”, the workers' houses of Val-des-BoisVal-des-Bois	Anonymous photographpublished 1901	Harmel Frères, filateurs, Reims, Imprimerie coopérative, 1901	Public domain
The Val-des-Bois spinning mill before the fire of 1874Val-des-Bois	Anonymous engravingc. 1870	Private collection	Public domain
“Entrée des bureaux” (Entrance to the offices, postcard A.4)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	Private collection	Public domain
“Doublage et retordage” (Doubling and twisting, postcard A.12)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	Private collection	Public domain
“Préparation, bobinoirs, finisseurs” (Preparation, roving and finishing frames, postcard A.9)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	Private collection	Public domain
“Teinturerie, vue d'ensemble” (Dye works, general view, postcard A.5)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	Private collection	Public domain
“Teinturerie, teinture mécanique de la laine” (Dye works, mechanical dyeing of wool, postcard A.6)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	Private collection	Public domain
“Compagnie des sapeurs-pompiers” (The fire brigade, postcard B.9)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	Private collection	Public domain
“Maison d'habitation” (Residence, postcard B.4)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	Private collection	Public domain
“Chapelle (vue intérieure)” (The chapel, interior view, postcard B.2)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Harmel Frèresc. 1905-1914	Private collection	Public domain
“Maison de famille de l'usine Harmel Frères, au Val-des-Bois” (The Harmel Frères family house, postcard)Val-des-Bois	Old postcardearly 20th century	Private collection	Public domain
“Warmeriville. L'usine Harmel Frères, les bureaux” (The Harmel Frères mill, the offices, postcard)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, publ. Baderc. 1910	Private collection	Public domain
“Warmeriville, Val-des-Bois. Lavoir, école des garçons” (Wash house and boys' school, postcard)Val-des-Bois	Old postcard, Édition des Comptoirs françaisearly 20th century	Private collection	Public domain
“Warmeriville. Val-des-Bois. Cités Jeanne d'Arc” (The Joan of Arc housing, postcard)Val-des-Bois	Old postcardearly 20th century	Private collection	Public domain
Chart of the workers' institutions of Val-des-Bois (Roubaix Exhibition, 1911)Val-des-Bois	Harmel Frères1911	Joseph Dassonville, La Famille ouvrière du Val-des-Bois, Action populaire, 1914	Public domain
“Harmel frères au Val-des-Bois (Marne). Plan général de l'usine et habitations ouvrières, 1797-1900” (General plan of the mill and workers' housing)The Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous plan, reproduced in the 1900 album1900	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 134, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
The workforce gathered in front of the workshopsThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (album “Albert Harmel, Val des Bois, 1891”)1891	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 131, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
The workforce leaving the mill, beside the SuippeThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (1900 album)1900	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 134, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
A spinning room, with “J. Grün, Guebwiller” machinesThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (1900 album)1900	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 134, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
The mill seen from the SuippeThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Photograph by De Jongh frères, Neuilly-Paris (1898 album)1898	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 132, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
The workshops and their chimneys, seen from aboveThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Photograph by De Jongh frères, Neuilly-Paris (1898 album)1898	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 132, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
Women workers of the Val, with wool, slivers and bobbinsThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (1900 album)1900	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 134, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
The Val-des-Bois chapelThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Photograph by De Jongh frères, Neuilly-Paris (1898 album)1898	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 132, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
Inside the chapel, seen from the galleryThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Photograph by De Jongh frères, Neuilly-Paris (1898 album)1898	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 132, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
Children and families in front of the chapelThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (album “Albert Harmel, Val des Bois, 1891”)1891	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 131, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
A statue of the Virgin watches over the engine roomThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (1900 album)1900	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 134, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
A meeting around the table at Val-des-BoisThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (1900 album)1900	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 134, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
A theatre hall at Val-des-BoisThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Photograph by De Jongh frères, Neuilly-Paris (1898 album)1898	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 132, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
The Val-des-Bois band (Harmonie)The Val albums (1891-1900)	Photograph by De Jongh frères, Neuilly-Paris (1898 album)1898	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 132, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
A doctor, a nun and a young workerThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (1900 album)1900	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 134, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
Three long-serving workers of the mill, with their medalsThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (1900 album)1900	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 134, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
Girls gathered around a harmoniumThe Val albums (1891-1900)	Anonymous photograph (album “Albert Harmel, Val des Bois, 1891”)1891	Archives départementales de la Marne, 59 J 131, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
A devastated workshop of the Harmel spinning mill, after the Great WarDestruction & rebirth	Old postcardc. 1918-1919	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
A mill chimney destroyed by the German armyDestruction & rebirth	Old postcardJuly 1918	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
The ruins of the Harmel spinning mill after the Great WarDestruction & rebirth	Old postcard1918-1919	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
The engine room of the rebuilt millDestruction & rebirth	Old postcard (“Reconstitution” series)1920s	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
Warmeriville station under German occupation (field post card)Destruction & rebirth	German military photographerOctober 1915	Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Generallandesarchiv Karlsruhe 456 F 6 Nr. 133	CC BY 4.0
“La Salle de Retordage: destruction exécutée par les Allemands lors de leur recul (octobre 1918)” (The twisting room: destruction carried out by the Germans during their retreat, October 1918)Destruction & rebirth	Postcard “Série après-guerre n° 3”, Filature Harmel frèresOctober 1918	Archives départementales de la Marne, 2 Fi 660/35, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
“Reconstitution: Salle de Retordage” (Reconstruction: the twisting room)Destruction & rebirth	Postcard “Série d'après-guerre, Reconstitution”, Filature Harmel frères1920s	Archives départementales de la Marne, 2 Fi 660/14, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
“État des travaux (septembre 1921): vue extérieure” (Progress of the works, September 1921: exterior view)Destruction & rebirth	Postcard “Série d'après-guerre, Reconstitution n° 5”, Harmel frèresSeptember 1921	Archives départementales de la Marne, 2 Fi 660/23, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
“Premiers éléments de reconstitution (février 1919)” (First steps of reconstruction, February 1919)Destruction & rebirth	Postcard “Série d'après-guerre, Reconstitution n° 1”, collotype by J. Bienaimé, ReimsFebruary 1919	Archives départementales de la Marne, 2 Fi 660/32, accessed 28 September 2026	Free reuse at no charge (Archives de la Marne regulations, art. 32)
“Boulangerie-coopérative du Val-des-Bois” (The cooperative bakery, postcard, post-war series no. 13)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel Frères1920s	Private collection	Public domain
“Cité Foch” (The Foch housing, postcard, post-war series no. 14)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel Frères1920s	Private collection	Public domain
“Salle de préparation, assortiment” (Preparation room, sorting, postcard, post-war series no. 6)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel Frères1920s	Private collection	Public domain
“Salle des renvideurs” (Mule room, postcard, post-war series no. 18)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel Frères1920s	Private collection	Public domain
“Salle des continus à filer” (Ring-spinning room, postcard, post-war series no. 17)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel Frères1920s	Private collection	Public domain
“Déblaiement en 1920” (Clearing the rubble in 1920, post-war postcard series)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel Frères1920	Private collection	Public domain
“Montage de la charpente métallique. État des travaux (novembre 1920)” (Erecting the steel frame, progress in November 1920, post-war series no. 3)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel FrèresNovember 1920	Private collection	Public domain
“État des travaux (septembre 1921). Vue intérieure” (Progress in September 1921, interior view, post-war series)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel FrèresSeptember 1921	Private collection	Public domain
“La grande salle de préparation. Destruction exécutée par les Allemands lors de leur recul (octobre 1918)” (The great preparation hall, destroyed by the Germans during their retreat, October 1918, series no. 2)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel FrèresOctober 1918	Private collection	Public domain
“Débris de la seconde cheminée (40 m de hauteur) et salles de doublage et de retordage” (Remains of the second chimney, 40 m high, and the doubling and twisting rooms, series no. 4)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel FrèresOctober 1918	Private collection	Public domain
“Bâtiments annexes près de la porte d'entrée” (Outbuildings near the entrance gate) destroyed in October 1918 (postcard, series no. 5)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, Harmel FrèresOctober 1918	Private collection	Public domain
“Warmeriville. Usine Harmel. Ruines intérieures” (The Harmel mill, ruins inside, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcardc. 1919	Private collection	Public domain
“La Marne dévastée. Warmeriville-Val-des-Bois. Usine Harmel. Les écoles” (The Marne laid waste: the Harmel mill, the schools, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, “La Marne dévastée” series, G. A. Deville, phot.c. 1919	Private collection	Public domain
“La Marne dévastée. Warmeriville-Val-des-Bois. Usine Harmel. Vue générale” (The Marne laid waste: the Harmel mill, general view, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, “La Marne dévastée” series, Deville, phot.c. 1919	Private collection	Public domain
“La Marne dévastée. Warmeriville-Val-des-Bois. Usine Harmel. La chapelle” (The Marne laid waste: the Harmel mill, the chapel, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, “La Marne dévastée” series, G. A. Deville, phot.c. 1919	Private collection	Public domain
“La Marne dévastée. Warmeriville. L'église et abri contre le bombardement” (The church and a shelter against shelling, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, “La Marne dévastée” seriesc. 1919	Private collection	Public domain
“La Marne dévastée. Warmeriville. Intérieur de l'église” (Inside the church, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	Old postcard, “La Marne dévastée” series, G. A. Deville, phot.c. 1919	Private collection	Public domain
“Warmeriville. Soldatenheim” (German soldiers' hostel, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	German postcard1914-1918	Private collection	Public domain
“Warmeriville, Frankreich. Bahnhofstraße” (Station Street, German postcard)Destruction & rebirth	German postcard1914-1918	Private collection	Public domain
“Offiziers-Kasino Warmeriville, Frankreich” (The German officers' mess, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	German postcard1914-1918	Private collection	Public domain
“Warmeriville, Frankreich. Offiziers-Kasino” (The terrace of the officers' mess, postcard)Destruction & rebirth	German postcard1914-1918	Private collection	Public domain
The church of Saint-Martin in WarmerivilleWarmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcardc. 1900	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
Warmeriville stationWarmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcardc. 1900	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
Warmeriville, avenue de la Gare: a flock of sheep on the Suippe bridgeWarmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcardearly 20th century	G. Garitan collection, via Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0 (declared licence)
“La Neuville-lès-Wasigny (Ardennes): vue générale” (general view)Warmeriville & Ardennes	Postcardearly 20th century	Archives départementales des Ardennes, 8FI 13706, accessed 28 September 2026	Licence Ouverte
“Warmeriville (Marne). Vue générale” (General view, postcard)Warmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcard, publ. Ch. Loth, G. A. Deville, phot.early 20th century	Private collection	Public domain
“Warmeriville (Marne). Rue des Champs. Les nouvelles écoles” (The new schools, postcard)Warmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcard, publ. Ch. Loth, G. A. Deville, phot.early 20th century	Private collection	Public domain
“La Neuville-lès-Wasigny (Ardennes). Ancienne filature incendiée en 1891” (The old spinning mill, burnt down in 1891, postcard)Warmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcardc. 1905	Private collection	Public domain
“Sainte-Cécile-sur-Semois. La filature: anciennement les Forges Harmel, qui datent du XVIIIe siècle” (The spinning mill, formerly the Harmel forges, dating from the 18th century, postcard)Warmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcardearly 20th century	Private collection	Public domain
“Pouru-aux-Bois. La Grande Rue” (The high street, postcard)Warmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcardearly 20th century	Private collection	Public domain
“Angecourt. Vue générale” (General view, postcard)Warmeriville & Ardennes	Old postcard, publ. Charpentier-Richard, Mézièresearly 20th century	Private collection	Public domain
“Rome. Le pèlerinage des ouvriers français. La messe du Pape dans la chapelle du Concile” (Rome: the French workers' pilgrimage; the Pope's Mass in the Council chapel)Pilgrimages to Rome	Drawing by Gerlach, after an instantaneous photograph3 October 1891	Le Monde illustré, no. 1801 · Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
“Plan de Rome, dressé en 1889 pour le pèlerinage du travail à Rome” (Map of Rome, drawn up in 1889 for the labour pilgrimage to Rome)Pilgrimages to Rome	Abbé H. Nicole (Paris, Poupin)1889	Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF, Maps and Plans department, GE D-1238	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
Le Noël des ouvriers (The Workers' Christmas), a cantata offered to Leo XIII “en souvenir du pèlerinage de 1891” (in memory of the 1891 pilgrimage)Pilgrimages to Rome	Lithograph by H. Viollet; words by Arthur Nebout, music by Aloys Kuncc. 1891-1895	Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque municipale de Toulouse (Res. Mus. B 147)	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
Souvenir of the “Pèlerinage des associations ouvrières à Rome” (Pilgrimage of the workers' associations to Rome), 15-20 October 1887Pilgrimages to Rome	Anonymous chromolithographOctober 1887	Private collection	Public domain
“Le Pèlerinage du travail à Rome en 1889 et le discours du pape” (The labour pilgrimage to Rome in 1889 and the Pope's address: cover)Pilgrimages to Rome	Desclée, De Brouwer et Cie, Lille1889	Private collection	Public domain
“À S. S. Léon XIII. Cantate du pèlerinage ouvrier, 1891” (To His Holiness Leo XIII, cantata of the workers' pilgrimage: cover)Pilgrimages to Rome	Imprimerie de Limé, par Braisne (Aisne)1891	Private collection	Public domain
Pope Leo XIIIFigures & documents	Francesco De Federicisc. 1898	Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
Leo XIII in the Vatican GardensFigures & documents	Unknown photographer1898	Library of Congress, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
L'Osservatore Romano of 15 May 1891, publishing the encyclical Rerum NovarumFigures & documents	L'Osservatore Romano15 May 1891	Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
Cardinal Benoît-Marie Langénieux, Archbishop of ReimsFigures & documents	Unknown photographerc. 1900	Bibliothèque municipale de Reims, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
Albert de MunFigures & documents	Isidore Alphonse Chalot19th century	New York Public Library, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
René de La Tour du PinFigures & documents	Unknown photographerbefore 1924	Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
The house where the first Catholic Workers' Circle was born (Paris, 1865)Figures & documents	Eugène Atgetearly 20th century	Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
The first Semaine sociale de France (Social Week), LyonFigures & documents	Unknown photographer1904	Archives municipales de Lyon, via Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
Nouveau plan de Reims monumental, industriel et commercial (New monumental, industrial and commercial map of Reims)Textile industry	Engraved by H. Rollet1894	Bibliothèque municipale de Reims, via Wikimedia Commons	Licence Ouverte
Inside the Duchâteau spinning mill in ReimsTextile industry	L'Illustration, 25 September 19201920	Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
“Mule spinning”: the spinning muleTextile industry	Edward Baines, History of the Cotton Manufacture in Great Britain1835	Wikimedia Commons	Public domain
Trade card “Harmel Frères, par Warmeriville, Val-des-Bois (Marne). Maison fondée en 1797” (founded 1797)Textile industry	Anonymous engravingc. 1880	Private collection	Public domain
Léon Harmel, Manuel d'une corporation chrétienne (Handbook of a Christian Corporation), title pageWritings	Tours, Alfred Mame et fils1877	Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF (copy held by the Institut catholique de Paris)	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
Catéchisme du patron (Employer's Catechism), edited by Léon Harmel, title pageWritings	Paris, at the offices of the newspaper La Corporation1889	Source gallica.bnf.fr / BnF	Public domain, non-commercial reuse
Le Val-des-Bois et ses institutions ouvrières, le 21 septembre 1890 (Val-des-Bois and Its Workers' Institutions), title pageWritings	Paris, Secrétariat de l'Œuvre des cercles catholiques d'ouvriers1890	Bibliothèque municipale de Lyon, SJ SS 477/405, 9 (Numelyo)	Licence Ouverte
“Harmel Frères, filateurs. Maison fondée en 1797” (Harmel Brothers, spinners, founded 1797: cover of the 1901 brochure)Writings	Imprimerie coopérative (Nestor Monce), Reims1901	Private collection	Public domain
“Échos du Val-des-Bois”, 7th year, no. 80, January 1913 (cover)Writings	Anonymous illustrated coverJanuary 1913	Private collection	Public domain
“Échos du Val-des-Bois”, 1929, no. 12, September (cover)Writings	Anonymous illustrated coverSeptember 1929	Private collection	Public domain
Statue of Our Lady of the Factory (Notre-Dame de l'Usine), church of Saint-Joseph, RoubaixMemory	Photo by Etienne5962late 19th century (photographed in 2021)	Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0
Street sign of the avenue Léon Harmel in Antony (Hauts-de-Seine)Memory	Photo by Chabe012023	Wikimedia Commons	CC BY-SA 4.0
Memorial card of Léon Harmel, “le Bon Père” (1829-1915): “Extrait de ses dernières recommandations à ses enfants et à ses petits-enfants” (from his last recommendations to his children and grandchildren)Memory	Anonymous photograph1915	Private collection	Public domain
“Le centenaire de Léon Harmel, 1929”: “Le Bon Père au milieu des enfants” (The Good Father among the children, postcard)Memory	Old postcard1929	Private collection	Public domain
“Le centenaire de Léon Harmel, 1929”: “Léon Harmel, le Bon Père” (Léon Harmel, the Good Father, postcard)Memory	Old postcard1929	Private collection	Public domain
“Le centenaire de Léon Harmel, 1929”: “La chapelle du Val-des-Bois” (The Val-des-Bois chapel, postcard)Memory	Old postcard1929	Private collection	Public domain
Letter of invitation from the Léon Harmel Centenary Committee, Paris, 4 January 1929Memory	Comité du centenaire de Léon Harmel (Léon Harmel Centenary Committee)4 January 1929	Private collection	Public domain

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