Batch of around 70 black and white photographs of the old steelworks at Marpent (59) near Maubeuge in the 1960s: buildings, workers at work, aerial views, production lines, finished products, employees, retirements and the destroyed plant. The Baume-Marpent factory, founded in 1853, specialised in the construction of metal structures for bridges and frameworks, as well as railway equipment. The business expanded at the beginning of the 20th century, employing over 2,000 workers in the 1930s. After the Second World War, the factory continued to operate under the name HK Porter, but suffered an industrial crisis and closed its doors for good in 1979.