René Desclée was born in Tournai on August 13, 1868.
He spent part of his childhood with his grandparents in La Verte-Feuille and in Tournai. He was interested in science and admired the strange machines whose workings his father explained to him.
In 1881, he received his first camera, purchased at Paradis des Enfants in Paris.
In late 1892, René Desclée met the Lumière brothers in Lyon, and in 1896, he took three photographs using X-rays.
From 1900 onward, he photographed locomotives. While most locomotive photographers showed the cold engine from the front and side, Desclée was one of the first to photograph locomotives in the landscape and sometimes even while they were running.
Desclée's great passion was kite photography.
On April 18, 1910, Desclée brought back his first aerial photograph; 124 kite aerial photographs followed between 1910 and 1939.
To obtain images of Tournai, René Desclée primarily operated from the Plaine des Manœuvres (Parade Ground) or the citadel.
The entire Tournai region was covered by this remarkable photographer, brimming with creative energy, astride his bicycle laden with equipment.
René Desclée died on December 5, 1953, in Tournai.
