Brief aan Max Dittmar Henkel Possibly 1913

This is a letter, penned in 1913 by Theo Molkenboer, likely from his address on the Nassaukade in Amsterdam, to M.V. Henkel, an assistant at the Rijks prentenkabinet (Print Room). Written in Dutch, the letter appears to answer questions about an advertisement, and references his work for Providentia, Bommel, and perhaps Wagner's heirs. Molkenboer, active during a time of shifting national identities and cultural introspection in the Netherlands, engages here in a dance of influence and artistic labor. What does it mean to create posters for commercial entities when, as an artist, one is simultaneously creating a national aesthetic? This exchange reminds us that the creation of art is often entangled with social and economic realities. Molkenboer’s letter provides insight into the day-to-day negotiations that artists undertook to survive and thrive, and hints at the complex dynamics between artists, patrons, and institutions in the early 20th century.