Hindeloopen Family with Painted Cradle, Dutch Costume, 1932

Hindeloopen Family with Painted Cradle, Dutch Costume, 1932

This charming hand-colored lithograph is Plate III from the 1932 publication The National Costumes of Holland by Gratiane de Gardilanne and Elizabeth Whitney Moffatt, with text by Alma Oakes. Issued in a limited edition of just 500 copies for commercial use, this print captures a warm domestic moment in the traditional Frisian town of Hindeloopen.

The plate features a young family dressed in full regional costume. The baby’s outfit is particularly notable for its historical continuity, traced back nearly unchanged to the sixteenth century. The child wears two lace-edged white linen caps and a miniature zondoek of checked Indian cotton, layered with a red baize veil and a fine gauze veil edged in narrow lace. The body is wrapped in a slaapwentke made of blue Indian cotton with a floral pattern and swaddled in red and blue cloths, following centuries-old customs of child dress.

The father wears a Sunday dress rooted in eighteenth-century design. His look includes a long coat, broadcloth breeches, stockings, and a three-cornered hat.

The mother’s costume is a variation of the older woman’s outfit seen in Plate I, but instead of a long coat she wears a kassakijntje, a tailored black jacket with red and white braid known as a langet. Her garments are richly layered with a damask oelof edged in purple velvet, an apron of heavy blue cotton, and a checked Indian cotton voorspeldoek. Her dark skirt completes the ensemble, rooted in practical, everyday tradition.

The ornate cradle and cradle-stand are decorated with painted Hindeloopen floral motifs, known in the local dialect as skelderde-wale. These vividly colored furnishings were heavily influenced by the maritime trade between Friesland and Scandinavian countries, making them both beautiful and symbolic of Hindeloopen’s cosmopolitan past.

Technique and condition

Printed in chromolithography by Vincent, Brooks, Day & Son of London, this image is a fine example of early 20th-century color printing. The lithograph remains in excellent condition, with fresh colors and clean margins, ready for display.

Framing tips

To enhance the warmth and fine detail of this family scene, use a medium to dark wood frame with a neutral mat such as ivory or soft cream. A double mat with a red or navy inner border can echo the rich colors of the cradle. Use UV-protective glass to safeguard the print’s integrity for decades to come.