Ontwerp voor een titelpagina voor een gedenkboek ter gelegenheid van het huwelijk van Koningin Wilhelmina en Hertog Hendrik 1900

Reinier Willem Petrus de Vries created this title page design around the time of Queen Wilhelmina's marriage to Duke Henry. We see a vertical rectangle enclosing empty space for the book’s content. De Vries balances the linear elements with organic motifs at the top and bottom edges. The script 'GEDENKBOEK' is centered, its letters bold and clear against the unadorned paper. The stylized, intertwined initials above the title—presumably Wilhelmina and Henry’s—anchor the design, nestled within swirling tendrils reminiscent of Art Nouveau. Consider the interplay between text and image here. The text is both informational and decorative, integrating into the overall visual structure. This work engages with the semiotic function of title pages; it signifies not only the book’s content, but also the cultural values and aesthetics of the period. The design serves as an interpretative framework through which the book is received.