Personal archive of Jaap van Dam (1876-1972)

Consisting of a photo album with 32 mounted photos and more than 40 loosely inlaid photos and postcards related to Van Dam's work as an artist, moreover 3 lithographed testimonials of his different educations 1894-1901, letters and postcards, family photos, several newspaper clippings with reproductions of his designs, few theatre magazines, etc.

Talented artist Jacob van Dam, born in Delfshaven in 1876 and died in Amsterdam in 1972, received training in Rotterdam at the Ambachtsschool and consecutively at the Akademie van Beeldende Kunsten en Technische Wetenschappen. Even though his work has won many awards, he has previously not been known to the wider public. Van Dam designed advertisements and interiors and designed and painted sets for theatre productions. Van Dam also designed costumes and created woolen wall coverings for Rijksmuseum. Van Dam's work was exhibited at an international theatre exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum (1922) and at the Haagse Kunstkring (1923). For the 125th anniversary of the city of Tilburg in 1934, Van Dam built the "Oud Venetië" complex. For a more extensive biography and photos of his work see: https://theaterencyclopedie.nl/wiki/Jaap_van_Dam. Above website includes a link to a list of his many set designs from 1918 to 1933, preserved in 4 work books in the TiN collection of Allard Pierson Museum. The personal archive in this lot and the collection of original drawings offered in this section, are great additions to this. The photo album in this lot exhibits the large "Oud Venetië" complex in Tilburg both in photos and in postcards, the Amsterdamse Follies (Kattenballet, Bolero etc.) and many photos of Van Dam and his team at work. Other striking items are: Design in the Theatre. Special winter number of "The Studio", 1927-8, with a reproduction of one of Jaap van Dam's set designs on p.114, including separately inserted correspondence (such as "we must apologize tot you for having printed your name wrongly"). Moreover, letters by: the Rika Hopper Theater (1936, by Rika Van Hoven - Hopper), Res. Lt.. H. Overduin regarding his Dutch East Indies Tour, H.E. Boekholt of the Théâtre Variété Scala, and the Nederlandsche Kistenfabriek voorheen Dobbelman & Co., on the fabric's stationary as designed by Van Dam. Furthermore, the lot includes a business card and a postcard signed by Louis de Vries and a postcard by painter Jan Maandag [see drawing in Van Dams collection elsewhere in this auction].