Ontwerp voor een boekenlegger van boekhandel De Haan te Bussum 1884 - 1952

Editor: Here we have "Ontwerp voor een boekenlegger van boekhandel De Haan te Bussum," a bookmark design for the De Haan bookstore in Bussum, created sometime between 1884 and 1952 by Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries. It seems to be an ink drawing, perhaps for a poster. It's got a strong Art Nouveau flavor. I’m struck by the clever use of imagery – the rooster, the post horn – but how do you read it? Curator: For me, it whispers of small-town charm, doesn’t it? That rooster, perched so proudly atop what looks like a stylized 'M' – perhaps for ‘market,’ or maybe even morphing into the bookstore’s name? It's folk art elevated. The De Haan bookstore… What do you imagine browsing there felt like? Editor: Cozy, definitely. I picture lots of wood and the smell of old paper. The "De Post" reference -- would that be a local newspaper they also carried? Curator: Precisely! The entire design works as a delightful microcosm of local culture: books, news, a touch of rural pride with that strutting rooster. It's so self-contained, a little world on a bookmark. The more I look at it, the more that jaunty rooster feels like a commentary. Perhaps it’s even suggesting reading keeps us informed, awake, like a rooster heralding the dawn? Editor: So, more than just an advertisement? Curator: Oh, absolutely. It’s a tiny poem, really. De Vries wasn’t just selling books, he was capturing a sense of place and purpose. I love that. Editor: It really is more layered than I initially thought. I was just seeing a cool design. Now, it makes me want to visit Bussum! Curator: Exactly! That’s the magic of good art, isn’t it? Taking you somewhere unexpected, beyond the surface, revealing worlds within worlds.