New Year's Greeting Card 1946

In 1947, the Dutch artist M.C. Escher created this New Year's greeting card for the Nederlandse Exlibris Kring, a Dutch society for collectors of bookplates. Escher's image speaks to the mood of a Europe emerging from the darkness of the Second World War. The print depicts a pair of hands climbing a ladder out of a well. In the local context of the Netherlands, still recovering from German occupation, the image and its caption "Wij Komen Er Uit!"—meaning "We are getting out of it!"—would have resonated deeply. Escher was a member of the Nederlandse Exlibris Kring, which commissioned the print, reflecting his social standing within the Dutch artistic community. A historian, using sources like membership records and period publications, can explore the role of such societies in fostering artistic expression and solidarity during times of social upheaval. In this context, art reflects and shapes the collective experience of a nation rebuilding itself.