1885 in Belgium

The following lists events that happened during 1885 in the Kingdom of Belgium.

← 1884 1883 1882 1885 in Belgium → 1886 1887 1888
Decades:	1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s
See also:	Other events of 1885 List of years in Belgium

Incumbents

• Monarch: Leopold II
• Prime Minister: Auguste Marie François Beernaert

Events

Poster advertising the 1885 World Exhibition in Antwerp

• Belgian State Railways Type 6 steam locomotive taken into use.
• 26 February – Conclusion of the Berlin Conference granting sovereignty over the Congo Basin to Leopold II.
• 6 April – Inaugural meeting of the Belgian Labour Party held in Brussels.
• 30 April – Leopold II receives parliamentary authorisation to assume sovereignty over the Congo Basin
• 2 May – World Exhibition in Antwerp opens (to 2 November)
• 1 August – Congo Free State established

Publications

Periodicals

• Bulletin du Musée royal d'histoire naturelle de Belgique, vol. 3.

Books

• Karl Baedeker, Belgium and Holland: Handbook for Travellers
• Joseph Van den Gheyn, Essais de mythologie et de philologie comparée

Art and architecture

Constantin Meunier, The Potato Diggers (1885)

Paintings

• Fernand Khnopff, Portrait of Jeanne Kéfer
• Constantin Meunier, The Potato Diggers
• Théo van Rysselberghe, Portrait of Octave Maus

Sculptures

• Thomas Vinçotte, The Horse Tamer (Brussels)

Births

• 29 January – Raoul Van Overstraeten, general (died 1977)
• 29 June – Camille Clifford, actress (died 1971)
• 17 November – Henri De Man, politician (died 1953)

Deaths

Charles Rogier (1800–1885)

• 27 May – Charles Rogier (born 1800), politician
• 20 August – Édouard Agneessens (born 1842), painter
• 9 October – Joseph Geefs (born 1808), sculptor