M. Brattinga, Advertising in the Dutch 1-20

Original article

ADVERTISING IN THE DUTCH EAST INDIES IN SEARCH OF A TROPICAL STYLE

Maartje BRATTINGA

Guest curator Dutch Poster Museum [email protected]

ABSTRACT This paper discusses advertising in in the first half of the twentieth century. A period in which modern life started to emerge and when advertising professionalized. The Dutch colonizer was prominently involved in advertising and founded numerous advertising agencies. Dutch illustrators travelled to the Dutch East Indies to work as advertising artists. Under influence of the Indonesian arts and crafts, and the tropical surroundings they developed a specific Dutch- Indonesian style.

Keywords: Indonesian poster design, advertising history, illustration, colonial period

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1. INTRODUCTION way it depicted these products. The style that advertising illustrators used, In the first half of the twentieth century especially the style, was a very advertising in colonial Indonesia had a modern one. But in the advertising major impact on the outward posters we can also see Indonesia’s appearance of cities. for instance, cultural heritage. The influence of changed dramatically in the twenties and traditional crafts such as is very thirties. Numerous posters, enamel visible in the poster art of this period. plates, painted wall-ads and other signs changed the city and made it more In the prewar period, advertising vibrant and colorful. Moreover, the professionalized. Under the influence of trams, trains, movie theatres and even the United States and other western swimming pools all bore signs of a new countries, especially the , the and modern world, filled with colorful, way newspaper ads, posters and enamel luxurious consumer goods. plates looked changed. But not only westerners influenced the style of Indonesian advertising. The unique composition of the society of colonial Indonesia, with its western, Indo- European, Indonesian and Chinese inhabitants (to name only a few), made a special mark on advertising posters as well.

This article sheds light on advertising in Figure 1.Pasar Baroe . 1920-36 Source: Royal Tropical Institute of the the first half of the twentieth century. Netherlands Who were in charge of advertising? Who were the illustrators of the advertising This was also the period modern life posters? How did they adjust their began in Indonesia. Life became faster, advertisements to the different cultural with the introduction of new ways of groups living in the Dutch East Indies. transportation, such as bicycles, cars and Was there a specific Indonesian style? trams. Luxuries became readily available, with cigarettes affordable for all, movie 2. ADVERTISING AGENCIES theatres and bars to go to and household Around the turn of the century, special appliances and products that made advertising agencies were founded in the domestic life. Advertising emphasized Dutch East Indies. These agencies this modern life, not only by depicting originally started with organizing the new modern products, but also in the

2 M. Brattinga, Advertising in the Dutch East Indies 1-20 advertisements in newspapers for their Dutch are named Albrecht & Co, clients. Over time they expanded their Excelsior, De la Mar, N.V. De Reclame, activities and in the 1920’s these Litjen’s Reclame Bureau, and the agencies were in charge of whole Soerabaiasch Administratieen Reclame advertising campaigns. They hired Kantoor. Even the Americans are present copywriters and illustrators; they in the Dutch East Indies, in 1930 J. Walter arranged newspaper ads, made poster Thompson opens an office in Batavia, campaigns, imported enamel plates and probably without much success, the made radio commercials. office closes only a year later [2].

The advertisements that these agencies The Dutch merchants that want to placed in the newspapers of the Dutch advertise in Indonesia can also use one East Indies changed dramatically over of the Dutch advertising agencies. Most the course of the twentieth century. of the big agencies in the Netherlands When we look at the newspaper ads had a specialized ‘Indië-afdeling’, an from 1900 and compare these with the Indonesia department. But using one of ads from the 1930’s, we can easily see these in Holland based agencies is risky, that a lot has changed. The the advertising press warns. The text, the advertisements at the start of the illustration or the overall atmosphere of century contained more or less only text, a newspaper ad or poster can easily in the 1930’s new printing techniques show whether it was made in the Dutch allowed the advertising professionals to East Indies, Europe or America [3]. introduce illustrations, and sometimes even color. The best known advertising agency in the Dutch East Indies was Aneta, Algemeen Advertising agencies were mainly by Nieuws-en Telegraaf- Agentschap the Dutch. But the , Indo- (General News and Telegraph Agency). It Europeans and Chinese also played an was founded in 1917 as the first news important part in this process. There are agency of the Dutch East Indies by the several Chinese advertising agencies, for flamboyant Indo European business man instance those of Yap Goan Ho, TjonkHok and media tycoon Dominique Beretty. Lange, Lauw Advertising Bureau Djin, and Aneta provided numerous newspapers Liem Thjang & Co. The indigenous and other organizations with news that Indonesians are also actively involved in he obtained (among others) from the advertising. At the start of the century captains of the steamboat company Raden Mas Tirtodisoerjo opens his KPM. In the Netherlands, newspaper De agency; other agencies are NV Hardjo Telegraaf used Aneta’s Indonesian news , NV Soesman, Clear and NV for its news section. Doenia Bergerak [1]. Those run by the

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1920 for instance, he hired an airplane and personally threw hundreds of thousands of little cards from the skies of Jakarta. One side of the card said in translation: ‘Aneta, a publicity agency that in a short time has taken a tremendous flight and has brought the Indonesian coverage at a higher level’. On the other side: ‘Aneta, the advertisement king above all others.’ This was a unique and very modern way to Figure 2. Aneta office building. Early 1930’s put Beretty’s new company in the Source: Voskuil R.P.G.A.Batavia. Beeld van spotlights [5]. And Beretty’s trick worked. eenstad. Purmerend: Minor; 1993. The whole Indonesian press talked about his advertising stunt. During the Japanese occupation Aneta had to close its doors. Later, in 1954 it reopened as Persbiro Indonesia, and in the 1960’s Aneta merged with its rival news agency .

Three years after the foundation of this news agency, in 1920, Beretty added another branch to his business and starts an advertising agency with the same Figure 3. Dominique Beretty Source: Biografisch Woordenboek Nederland name. Aneta now also focused on http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/bwn1880- advertising for various companies and 2000/lemmata/bwn6/berretty soon almost had a monopoly in the advertising business [4]. Customers of Two years later, in 1922, Willem Aneta are amongstothers: Stoomvaart Grollenberg arrived in Batavia. He started Maatschappij Nederland (SMN), de the Indonesian branch of De la Mar, one Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij of the big Dutch advertising agencies. De (KPM), de -China-Japan-Lijn (JCJL), la Mar soon became Aneta’s biggest Goodyear, General Motors, , competitor [6]. Clients of De la Mar were Regnaults Verffabrieken, Kolff and Hotel among others Dutch companies that des Indes. Grollenberg took with him from the Netherlands, such as Wybert, Philips and Beretty was a man who dared to explore Coöperatieve Condensfabriek Friesland. new forms of advertising. In February De la Mar was active in the same

4 M. Brattinga, Advertising in the Dutch East Indies 1-20 advertising branches as Aneta, such as Hotels contained advertising posters and newspaper ads, poster campaigns and they let large companies sponsor their even advertising films. menus as well. Merchandising, like the much used advertising calendars (In 1900 3. TYPES OF ADVERTISING Simplex bikes already distributed one of these calendars drawn by Antoon The advertising agencies were not only in Molkenboer in the Dutch East-Indies [8]), charge of the copywriters and printed coasters, matchboxes and the illustrators; they made sure advertising inescapable ashtrays were popular was everywhere, not only in newspapers advertising-means. Swiss company and on posters. Nestlé emphasized its heritage with a Public transport was for instance an printed Swiss clock and the Italian firm J. excellent place to show off your product. Serravallo placed an advert for kin a wine Advertisements appeared on the on the back of a hand mirror [9]. outsides of the trams, in train carriages, Cinema visits were very popular in this as well as on walls, stations, viaducts, period, especially amongst the platforms and railway crossings. The Indonesian population. Before World menus in the restaurant carriage and War One the movies that were shown even the railway guide carried adverts were mostly French, after the war most [7]. A photograph from the 1920’s or movies came from Hollywood [10]. ‘30’s even shows advertising posters in Because of its popularity cinemas were a the swimming pool. great place to advertise. According to magazine Meer Baet (the magazine of advertising agency De la Mar) cinema- advertising should be in Malay, because of the high number of Chinese and Indonesian visitors to cinemas. To also appeal to possible illiterates adverts should contain lots of illustrations and especially cinema-adverts should be funny to underline the festive character of a cinema-visit [11].

De la Mar headed his own advice when Figure 4. Posters in a swimming pool. in 1933 the agency created an 1920-30 Indonesian version of the comical Source: Royal Tropical Institute of the advertising film De lotgevallen van Ko, de Netherlands lachendeKoe (transl. The ups and downs

5 Wimba, Jurnal Komunikasi Visual & Multimedia. Vol. 6 No. 2 Tahun 2014 of Ko, the laughing Cow) for condensed language to use? In which newspaper to milk from Tjap Bandera (FriescheVlag) advertise? What sort of illustration to from Leeuwarden. This was the only time use? that a specific version of a Dutch commercial was made for the Dutch- The presence of so many different Indonesian market though. Other famous groups with each a different language commercial-films in Indonesia, like Pietje and culture makes advertising in colonial Pelleenzijn Gazelle for Gazelle-bikes Indonesia a lot more difficult than in the (shown in shop-windows) and Netherlands. The Dutch advertising Doornroosje (transl. Sleeping Beauty) for professionals do a lot of research on this Philipsradio's were initially made for subject, they write about it in various Dutch consumers and it was this version magazines on advertising and refer to that was shown in the Dutch East Indies this issue as ‘the Indonesian advertising [12]. problem’ [13].

Depending on which group the ad man wants to reach he has to use a different language. Chinese, Malay, Javanese, Arabic, English or Dutch, the advertising professional has to determine which group he wants to address. This situation is very different from for instance advertising in the United States or the Netherlands. Moreover, more than 50 % of the Indonesian populace is illiterate in Figure 5. Film stillfrom De lotgevallen van Ko, this period. Even more so than in the de lachende Koe. 1931 western world the image of the Source: EYE. advertisement becomes more important than its words [14]. 4. THE INDONESIAN ADVERTISING PROBLEM So Verkade biscuits use different ways to reach specific groups. For the same Dutch companies such as Philips lights, biscuits the company creates different Heineken beer, Verkade biscuits and Van campaigns for different groups. Verkade Nelle sell their products in the uses the expertise of advertising agency Dutch East Indies and therefore need De La Mar and its main illustrator Frits good advertising campaigns. But who van Bemmel. buys these products? The Indonesians, Chinese, or the westerners? And how to In 1929 Van Bemmelmakesan advertising reach these target groups? What

6 M. Brattinga, Advertising in the Dutch East Indies 1-20 poster voor Verkade Biskoewit. It depicts town in Holland). The text says that these a young man with a petji, a typical biscuits taste just as good as those in Islamic hat. The text reads (translated): Holland [16]. ‘Biscuits of the brand ‘The four boys’ are fully halal and are for every muslim safe to eat’ [15]. With this poster the company tries to reach a specific Indonesian moslem group.

Figure 7. Frits van Bemmel advertisement. 1932. Source: De reclame (11) 1932; March.

With the boy in traditional Dutch clothes and the text ‘From the motherland’ the Figure 6. Frits van Bemmel, advertising advertising professionals try to reach the poster. 1929 Dutch society in colonial Indonesia. This Source: Grafisch tijdschrift (9) 1929; June. specific Dutch product will be extra appealing to them because of its Dutch But a few years later the same company origins. With this campaign Verkade makes an advertising campaign directed follows the advice from the advertising at the Dutch living in the Dutch East press that to reach the Dutch group, who Indies. Now Verkade focuses not on the feel a little homesick in the tropics, one fact that the biscuits are halal, but on the should focus on the Dutch origins of a fact that the biscuits are ‘From the product. Moreover, focusing on the motherland’. Illustrator Van Bemmel Dutch origins will give the companies draws a typical Dutch boy, in traditional from Holland a head start to companies clothes from Volendam (a fisherman’s from Australia, the United States and

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Britain. The Dutch consumers that live in advertising illustrators. Others, such as the Dutch East Indies are more likely to Menno van Meeteren Brouwer and Frits buy products from their home country, van Bemmel combine their advertising so companies such as Verkade should work with work as political illustrators for emphasize this aspect; the advertising newspapers or magazines. press suggests [17]. These illustrators don’t all work in the To appeal to the Indonesian populace same style. We can roughly distinguish the ad men use various typical three different styles in the advertising Indonesian scenes. For Dobbelman illustrations. Some, such as Menno van tobacco the Indonesian illustrator T. Meeteren Brouwer and Frits van Bemmel Roesjan for instance depicts a slematan, use more or less realistic scenes. Others, a feast meal. The text reads (translated) such as Pieter Ducro, base their ‘After a feast meal, you smoke advertisements on the specific Dobbelman’. But also ‘djempol’, the Indonesian batik art. The third style, typical Indonesian ‘thumbs up’, used for with Jan Lavies as its main ‘great’, ‘fine’, is used in advertising. representative, is more stylized, art deco, and distinguishes itself by the use of For Van Nelle tobacco the Dutch bright, tropical colors. illustrator Menno van Meeteren Brouwer makes a series of advertisements with 4.1 Realistic style various typical scenes from colonial Menno van Meeteren Brouwer (1882- Indonesia. These are scenes from daily 1974) arrives in 1910 in . He life, such as a scene in a shop, students becomes well known because of his smoking, a soccer game and work on the political illustrations and his drawings of sawa’s. All very recognizable scenes for daily life. His work is published in everybody living in the Dutch East Indies. Dutch/Indonesian magazines such as Nieuws van den Dag, De Indische Post and De Zweep. Van MeeterenBrouwer 5. STYLE also works as a painter; he illustrates children’s books and publishes his own From the start of the twentieth century books, such as Indische Penkrabbels illustrators from the Netherlands travel (1912). His work is considered typical to the Dutch East Indies to stay and work ‘Indisch’, depicting life in the Dutch East there for a short period, or sometimes to Indies as it was. He stays in the Dutch stay there indefinitely. Some of them, for 11 years, during which he such as Simon Admiraal, Dirk Homberg travels and paints on Java, and and Isidorus van Mens are artist and . After his return to the Netherlands create paintings, next to their work as in 1921 he continues to make

8 M. Brattinga, Advertising in the Dutch East Indies 1-20 illustrations of daily life in the Dutch East works for the advertising agency Aneta, Indies [18]. where he is head of the illustration studio. Next to his work in advertising In his advertising work, especially the Van Bemmel makes political illustrations illustrations he made for Van Nelle for magazines De Revue, De Zweep and tobacco, his drawings of daily life are d’Oriënt. very successful. The Van Nelle series is still very much sought after by collectors As an advertising illustrator van Bemmel of historic advertisements. But in his creates illustrations for the Pasar lifetime these illustrations were Gambir, the Jaarbeurs (annual fair) in considered a success as well. In the , he illustrates for the steam Dutch advertising press, the work of Van boat company Rotterdamsche Lloyd, for Meeteren Brouwer is highly praised for Verkade, Wajang Thee and Ford motors. his capability to capture typical and When he returns to the Netherlands in recognizable Indonesian scenes [19]. 1932 he continues to work in advertising Realistic illustrations from daily life are a and becomes an illustrator for De la Mar, very good means to reach the Indonesian the Dutch branch of Aneta’s big populace; the advertising press argues competition. In Holland Indonesia is still [20]. on his mind. Van Bemmel illustrates Indonesian school plates, and Tjoklatsagen, a children’s book with Indonesian fairy tales of the Swiss chocolate company Tjoklat. He is also responsible for the famous Tjoklat girl, an Indonesian girl holding cocoa-fruits, that is depicted on all chocolate boxes of the company [21].

Figure 8. Menno van Meeteren Brouwer. Advertising poster. 1930’s Source: Van Sabben Poster Auctions.

Frits van Bemmel (1898-1981) can also be considered as a representative of this realistic style in advertising. Van Bemmel Figure 9. Tjoklat chocolate box lives in Batavia (current Jakarta) and Source: Private collection

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4.2 Tropical style Admiraal’s design better suited for an For some of his advertising posters Van exhibition on agriculture, then for the Bemmel uses a more colorful, more Pasar Gambir, which is meant to give an stylized style. For instance is his image of the indigenous industry of advertising poster in 1926 for the Pasar Indonesia [23]. Gambir, the annual fair that is held since 1906 at the Koningsplein in Batavia. For the design of this advertising poster in 1926 a completion is held. Thirteen illustrators send their designs and four of these are awarded a prize. Among the designs is one of Simon Admiraal (1903- 1992), a teacher in drawing, illustrator and advertising illustrator, who after World War II founded the University for Art Teachers in Bandung (the later ASRI). Admiraal made a poster with motto, ‘Eendrachtmaaktmacht’ (Unity gives power). His design is awarded the first prize. Two figures, an Indonesian and a western farmer, symbolize the collaboration between east and west. Figure 10. Simon Admiraal. Poster design. 1926. The jury is enthusiastic and considers the Source: Grafischtijdschrift. (6) 1926; October. poster a good design, very visible and understandable from a distance. It is Moreover, the jury decides to take none fiercely drawn, the white letters Pasar of the designs from the competition into Gambir come forward and the blue production and asks advertising agency brings color and life in the background. Aneta to create a completely new design. But there’s also critique, there are no Aneta-illustrator Frits van Bemmel makes western farmers that work on the land a new design that is approved by the jury themselves in the Dutch East Indies [22]. and incorporates both the festive element of the Pasar Gambir as its focus But the winning design of Simon on the artisanal crafts of Indonesia. The Admiraal is not executed and put into Dutch press is very positive about the print. The jury thinks it is not good design, with its striking color, and enough for the whole advertising mysterious silhouettes [24]. campaign. The jury explains that it was a difficult decision, but they consider

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in Dutch and Malay.

The Dutch advertising press considers Lavies' work very well suited for the tropics because of his use of bright colors. The bright tropical sun makes even brighter colors necessary. Moreover, bright colors are especially appealing to the Indonesian populace; writes Het Grafisch Tijdschrift. They also Figure 11. Frits van Bemmel. Advertising appreciate humoristic advertisements, poster. 1926 Source: Stadsarchief Rotterdam an element that the work of Lavies also incorporates [25]. G. G. van der Kop Both designs, the one of Admiraal and writes on this matter in the colorful the one of Van Bemmel can be language of his day in De reclame: considered drawn in the third style of illustrating in the Dutch East Indies, ‘In het algemeen is de inlander (…) van which is more stylized, more art deco. huis uit artistiek aangelegd en (…) is hij But the most prominent advocator of zeer gevoelig voor kleuren en tevens this style would be Jan Lavies. He is voldoende kinderlijk om het pompeuze en considered the best illustrator in the schitterende te appreciëren. Dutch East Indies in this period. Begrijpelijkerwijze is vooralsnog naturalistische voorstelling der dingen The 23-year old Jan Lavies arrives in the voor hem gewenscht, aangezien de zeer Dutch East Indies in 1925. He starts moderne tendenzen die in de working in Batavia as an advertising Hollandschereclameteekeningen dikwijls illustrator for General Motors, various tot uiting komen boven zijn hotels, different steamboat companies bevattingsvermogen gaan.’ [26] and consumer products. His style is colorful, humoristic and very [translation: ‘In general the indigenous recognizable. person is naturally artistic and very sensitive to colors, yet childlike enough to The advertising press is very impressed appreciate the bombastic and shining. by his work and they write a lot about Understandably for now a naturalistic Lavies and his work in Het Grafisch performance of matters is needed, Tijdschriftvoor Nederlandsch - Indië, a because the very modernistic tendencies magazine founded in 1917 for people in Dutch advertising perhaps go above its working in the printing business. The understanding.] magazine is two-languaged, with articles

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The work of Jan Lavies gives a clear Ducro, a Dutch artist who has been example of Van der Kops advice. Lavies interested in batik since 1902. His uses bright colors and typically Dutch- teacher, the Dutch designer and painter Indonesian scenes [27]. His work is Chris Lebeau has introduced Ducro to stylized, but still naturalistic and batik. Lebeau has been working with understandable. Moreover, Lavies’ work batik for a longer time and has made was appealing to all people living in the several book covers in batik. The most Dutch East Indies, the bright colors and famous, or artistic of these is his cover well-painted illustrations were as for ' De StilleKracht attractive to the westerners as to the (1900). A story in the Dutch East Indies indigenous Indonesian populace. about the magical forces that haunt a Dutch family on Java.

After Lebeau has introduced his student Ducro to batik, Ducro is invited by Boeatan, a shop in specialized in the Indonesian arts and crafts, to travel to the Dutch East Indies to study the art of batik and help to import batik products to the Netherlands. Ducro makes the trip, imports various products for an exhibition of Boeatan and works with batik producers in the female prisons of and Djokja [28].

Ducro also receives an invite of the Dutch architect P.A.J. Moojen to design furniture in Batavia. Working there further results in more commissions, not Figure 12. Jan Lavies. Advertising poster. only for furniture, also for graphic work ca. 1931. in which the influence of batik can easily Source: Collection Martijn Le Coultre be detected. Ducro designs book and 4.3 Batik style magazine covers, certificates, bank The advertising illustrators don't just notes, labels and advertising posters, all adjust their art to the Indonesian market in his distinctive batik style [29] by depicting typical Indonesian scenes The advertising press notices his work and using bright tropical colors. They also and is impressed by his graphic designs. use batik in their poster designs. The Ducro is not the only Dutch illustrator main proponent of this style is Pieter

12 M. Brattinga, Advertising in the Dutch East Indies 1-20 using batik. We can see the batik have been interested in batik and have influence for instance on an advertising opened their own batik studio for poster designed by Wiemans for a European customers [31]. One of these convention of the Java Institute in women is Suze Beynon, a painter, Soerabaja in 1926, but also on the adverting illustrator and book cover packaging and advertising calendars of designer [32]. the Java Cigarettes in the same year. The director of this company, A. Mac Gillavry, Later, in the 1920’s modern European explains that he wants to give the brand ladies practice batik using modern a certain cachet and considers the batik patterns. Batik has now become motive in different colors most suited. ‘fashionable’ advertising magazine Het The advertising press is very enthusiastic Grafisch Tijdschrift van Nederlands-Indië about this idea, since batik is an concludes in 1926 [33]. indigenous art that all Indonesians, Batik is also influential in the young and old, literate and illiterate Netherlands, amongst advertising artists know and understand [30]. as well. N.P. de Koo and Samuel L. Schwartz for instance occasionally use the Indonesian crafts as a source of inspiration. For the design of the advertising poster for the in 1914 Albert Hahn Sr. uses the Indonesian arts and crafts as well. For this design Hahn uses a photo of a Javanese bride by Kassian Céphas, the Javanese photographer who worked at the court of the Sultanate.

Hahn was one of three advertising artists that were asked to make a design for this poster. The other two were Antoon

Molkenboer and Jan Rotgans. The design Figure 13. Pieter Ducro. Advertising poster. of Hahn was selected and put into print. 1924. Moreover, it was very well received by Source: Collection FransHelling the advertising press and chosen as he best poster design of the year [34]. The But batik is also appealing to the journalists are impressed by the Javanese Europeans that have been living for some bride, because she personifies on the time in the Dutch East Indies. Since the one hand the old traditional Indonesia, 1850’s Dutch and Indo-European women

13 Wimba, Jurnal Komunikasi Visual & Multimedia. Vol. 6 No. 2 Tahun 2014 but on the other also (from a business also the businesses, the crafts and point of view) the new Indonesia for cultural life were represented at the whom the future has a lot in store [35]. exhibition. For a period of three months (20 August – 22 ) people could visit the exhibition stands in Semarang, they could visit the exhibitions, buy various products, and eat, drink and dance.

6. CONTACT BETWEEN EAST AND WEST

The posters that were made for the steamboat companies, and later, for the have a special place in the Indonesian landscape of poster design. Most of them are not specific Indonesian and follow the usual design that was used for such posters, in effect, depicting a big boat or airplane and showing the

route of travel. Cassandre introduced Figure 14. Albert Hahn sr. Advertising poster. some effects, such as depicting the large 1914. steam pipes of the boats that other Source: Reclamearsenaal artists repeated.

The poster is printed in a circulation of In the early twentieth century the 40.000 and distributed in the whole shipping company would introduce a archipelago, but also in the Netherlands new ship with a small model that gets a and Europe [36]. Next to the advertising prominent place in the offices, on poster, Hahn designs several other exhibitions, fairs, etc. Moreover, the new advertising materials, such as an ship was also painted on canvas. This advertising booklet. This design also portrait of the ship was usually the basis emphasizes different aspects of the for an advertising poster [37]. The 1910 Indonesian arts and crafts, such as batik, poster of the Stoomvaart Maatschappij and the masked dance. Nederland (Steamboot Company of the The colonial exhibition gave an overview Netherlands) for instance, depicts the of life in the Dutch East Indies and ship SS Rembrandt. It shows the shiny focuses on colonial management, white vehicle in full ornate on sea, agriculture, trade, crafts, traffic et cetera. navigating through the rough waves, Not only the government was involved, with a bunch of seagulls accompanying

14 M. Brattinga, Advertising in the Dutch East Indies 1-20 the ship. An advertising poster from 1931 The steamboat advertisements follow from J.A.W. von Stein also has a with their focus on ship and route the prominent place for the ship ‘Si bajak’ same design as Europe and elsewhere. from the company Rotterdamsche Lloyd, Typical for colonial Indonesia are the as is the same case on the poster for the advertising posters for different target SMN ship ‘Oranje’, made by Jean groups, such as the Chinese. These Walther in 1939. advertisement posters follow the same design, albeit in a different language. An advertising poster of the Java-China- Japan-Lijn (Java China Japan Line) for instance focuses on the passenger ship Tjitjalengka (a ship that was later used by the British as a hospital ship in the war years).

Figure 15. Anonymous. Advertising poster. 1910 Source: Van Sabben Poster Auctions. Hoorn.

Not only the ships are depicted, the route they take also plays an important role in the advertising poster. We can see this on the poster that Jan Lavies madefor the Verenigde Nederlandsche Scheepvaartmaatschappij (United Dutch Steamboot company) in 1938. It shows the route the ship will take on the globe.

Lavies had designed the poster in a way Figure 16. Anonymous. Advertising poster. that allowed the company to draw in ca. 1939-40 other routes and to change the letters in Source: KITLV the reflection in the water, so the poster became multifunctional [38]. In the late thirties the steamboat companies introduced special tour tickets that stayed valid for 100 days.

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These were especially targeted at KLM and the KNILM started to compete tourists, more specifically for family visits with the steamboat companies. As did [39]. In 1938 the Dutch illustrator Jean the steamboat posters, the Walther created an advertising poster for advertisements for airplanes followed a 100 day tour ticket of the SMN. On the the same plan and depicted large poster he combined several elements: airplanes, and/or the route they had to the ship, a European couple, and a take. A good example is the advertising wayang doll, trying to visualize the poster made by Emile Gaillard in 1931 for purpose of the visit of the couple. the KLM. It shows the globe with the route the plane had to take, almost Printing for tourism incorporated a lot halfway around the world. more Indonesian influences. For instance the brochures that Von Stein illustrated for the Rotterdamsche Lloyd in 1940. But also Jan Lavies made numerous brochures, suitcase labels and other designs for the steamboat companies and hotels in his specific colorful style. The use of bright colors and iconic buildings of Indonesia (such as the Borobodur or the Sumatra stilt houses) were very charming and persuasive.

Figure 18. Emile Gaillard. Advertising poster. 1930-35 Source: Reclamearsenaal Figure 17. Jan Lavies. Brochures for hotels. 1925-30. The advertising posters for the KNILM Source: Martijn Le Coultre are a lot more Indonesian then those of

the KLM. Jan Lavies depicts colorful When flying between the Netherlands tropical Indonesian landscapes. He and the Dutch East Indies and within the worked a lot for this company, but when Dutch East Indies became possible the KNILM found the illustrator to (starting with the first flight in 1924) the

16 M. Brattinga, Advertising in the Dutch East Indies 1-20 expensive, Lavies was satisfied with the offer of flying for free as payment [40]. Contact between the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies did not only take place by plane and steamboat. From 1928 onward it became possible to make phone calls. These calls at first had to be made from a special telephone studio in the Hague, later different ‘cells’ became available in the larger cities of the Figure 19. Leo Visser. Advertising poster. Netherlands and from 1930 it became 1933 also possible to make phone calls from Source: Van Sabben Poster Auctions. Hoorn. your own house [41].

7. CONCLUSION For this new service advertising played an important role on both sides of the There is a lot of contact between the world. Most of the time the advertising Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies. poster visualized the connection itself Various Dutch artists move (for a shorter and the distance it had to make. or longer period) to the Dutch East Indies Indonesian elements were used to work there as an advertising frequently, but also the globe was a illustrator. Moreover, Dutch advertising prominent means (just as in the agents and other advertising steamboat and airplane advertisements) professionals consider the Dutch colony to emphasize the distance between the a good opportunity to do business. Dutch Netherlands and its colony. brands such as Verkade, Heineken and Philips invest a lot of money in The advertising poster of Leo Visser is advertising campaigns for the Indonesian different. In a collage-type way he public. combined various typical Dutch and typical Indonesian elements. On the left In the advertising press, the Indonesian side we can distinguish tulips, a wind advertising problem is discussed at large. mill, a cow and a church tower. On the A lot is written on this subject, and the right side a wayang doll, palm trees, advertising journalists clearly struggle Indonesian houses and a crocodile. The with the difficulty of such a culturally radio tower that made it possible to diverse society. The advertising communicate between the two worlds professionals turn this problem around has a prominent place in the center. and treat it with tremendous creativity and artistry. Advertising for the

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Indonesians, for the westerners and for 8. REFERENCES the Chinese is sometimes done in one [1] Riyanto B. Iklan surat kabar dan single poster, on other occasions the perubahan masyarakat di Jawa masa illustrators focuses on one of these colonial (1870-1915). Yogyakarta: groups. This results in a very diverse Tarawang; 2000; p. 83, 84; Subakti B. Reka reklame. Sejarah periklanan advertising landscape, not only because Indonesia 1744-1984. Jakarta: PPPI; of the different languages used, but also 2005). in the scenes that were depicted by the [2] ; December 1 artists. 1930; De Indische courant; October 12 1931. The styles in which the illustrators work [3] De reclame. 1925 (4) October: p. 580; vary, and we can discern more or less C.J.P. Reclame in onze OOST III. Meer three different styles. The realistic style is baet. 1929 (1) May: p. 142, 143; De used by Menno van Meeteren Brouwer Indische kant van de Indische krant. and Frits van Bemmel. They depict Grafisch tijdschrift. 1934 (14) December: p.1,6,7. realistic and typical Indonesian scenes [4] Termorshuizen G. Realistenenreaction- with which the Indonesian populace, but airen. Een geschiedenis van de Indisch- also the westerners that live and work in Nederlandsche pers (1905-1942). the Dutch colony, can identify. Amsterdam: Nijgh en Van Ditmar; 2011; p. 95-98. The batik style incorporates typical [5] Termorshuizen G. Realistenenreaction- Indonesian arts and craft elements in its airen. Een geschiedenis van de Indisch- designs. Pieter Ducro is the main Nederlandsche pers (1905-1942). proponent of this style and himself a Amsterdam: Nijgh en Van Ditmar; 2011; practitioner of batik. Batik was not only p. 98. [6] Sartory K. a.o. De vierde vrijheid. popular amongst the indigenous Amsterdam; 1955; p. 39. Indonesians, but also ‘fashionable’ for [7] Grafisch tijdschrift. 1931: April; p.10. western ladies and therefore attractive [8] Sumatra-courant: nieuws- en adverten- to both target groups. tieblad. 1900: January 31. [9] G.G. van der Kop, ‘Reclame in The colorful art deco tropical style used Nederlandsch-Indië’ in: De reclame 3 by Jan Lavies, may still today be the most (1924) Februari; p. 66-69; De attractive one of these three. Lavies is locomotief, 19-01-1900. considered the best illustrator in this [10] Termorshuizen G. Realistenenreaction- period, and with the amount of work he airen. Een geschiedenis van de Indisch- Nederlandsche pers (1905-1942). produced he has made a real mark on Amsterdam: Nijgh en Van Ditmar; 2011; advertising in the Dutch East Indies. p. 70.

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