Tax Stamp Artists

Joseph Vürtheim (1808-1900)

Vürtheim was a German lithographer who worked in succession for the Dutch newspapers the Algemeen Handelsblad and De Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and later for Adresboeken Rotterdam (the city’s archives). He designed postage stamps and revenue stamps for the Dutch government. 

His work includes the adhesive receipt stamps issued in 1870, 1875 and 1885.

Examples of postage stamps designed by Joseph Vürtheim

Victor de Stuers (1843-1916)

Victor de Stuers trained at the Ars Aemulae Naturae Academy of Painting and Drawing in Leiden and worked as an etcher and lithographer. He had also studied law and became better known as an administrator than as an artist. Among other things, he was head of the Arts & Sciences Department at the Ministry of the Interior and a member of the House of Representatives. He is regarded as the founder of Dutch built heritage conservation. 

De Stuers designed the 1885 issue of adhesive receipt stamps.

Sjoerd de Roos (1877-1962)

Sjoerd de Roos started evening classes at the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten (National Academy of Fine Arts) in Amsterdam at the age of 18. He worked as a painter, draughtsman, graphic artist, typographer and furniture designer. In 1924, he designed the revenue stamps for the consular service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hendrik Seegers (1878-1956)

Hendrik Seegers worked as an engraver, draughtsman and etcher. His work for the Dutch government included designing postage stamps and in 1917 statistics revenue stamps and mortgage revenue stamps in 1929.

 

Jacob Jongert (1883-1942)

Jacob (always abbreviated to Jac.) Jongert was a modernist. This is clearly reflected in his best-known work, the packaging for Van Nelle. He was a graphic designer, glass artist, advertising designer, etcher, graphic artist, painter, lithographer and interior designer. From 1918 to 1940, he also found time to be senior lecturer at the Decorative Arts and Applied Arts department of the Academy of Fine Arts and Technical Sciences in Rotterdam. 

Jongert also worked for government printer Johan Enschedé. In 1919, Jongert was asked to create some designs for pension contribution stamps. He subsequently made a series of airmail stamps (1929) and a banknote (1930).

Here are some examples of Jongert’s pension contribution stamps.

In 2009, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen dedicated an exhibition and catalogue to the multifaceted work of Jac. Jongert. 

 

André van der Vossen (1893-1963)

André van der Vossen designed the sales tax stamp in 1933 and it is a favourite of many. The design, that is, not the tax! 

Van der Vossen also worked for the government during the German occupation. In 1943, for instance, he designed a pension contribution stamp for the Dutch National Socialist Employment Agency.

He was not blamed for this, as he also designed the new money which went into use after Minister Lieftinck’s major currency reform in October 1945. 

Van der Vossen was an artist, graphic designer, typographer and sculptor.

The Stedelijk Museum Schiedam organized an exhibition of Van der Vossen’s work in 1992. His artworks were exhibited in several places during his lifetime. 

Chris van der Hoef (1875-1933)

Chris van der Hoef was a sculptor, graphic artist, designer, medallist, ceramist, ornamental artist, etcher, lithographer, in short, a versatile artist. He attended evening sculpture classes at the Teekenschool voor Kunstambachten from 1888 to 1893. After completing the course, he worked in the studio of the well-known sculptor Lambertus Zijl. Van der Hoef founded the Amstelhoek factory with Zijl in 1898 and was put in charge of the pottery department. After Amstelhoek went bankrupt in 1903, he designed for De Woning, a modern arts and crafts company. His ceramics designs were produced by the potteries De Sphinx in Maastricht and Plateelbakkerij Zuid-Holland in Gouda. He also made designs for silver objects for the manufacturers Begeer and Gero. 

Van der Hoef also worked for the Dutch government. From 1925 to 1934, he designed a series of bicycle tax plates, also a type of stamp, as proof of payment of the bicycle tax. His style is in keeping with Art Deco. 

Van der Hoef werkte ook voor de Nederlandse overheid. Van 1925 tot 1934 ontwierp hij een serie rijwielbelastingmerken, ook een vorm van zegel, als betalingsbewijs voor de rijwielbelasting. Zijn stijl sluit aan bij de Art Déco.

As a medallist, he designed the medal for the National Crisis Committee in 1931 and the devaluation medal in 1936. 

Johan C. Wienecke (Johannes Cornelis 1872-1945)

Sculptor, medallist, stamp engraver and designer Johan C. Wienecke (Johannes Cornelis) was German by birth. Aged just 16, he started studying at Quellinus, a school for sculptors in Amsterdam. From 1894 to 1900, he studied and worked at the Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten in Antwerp, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and the Académie Julian in Paris. After completing his studies, he returned to the Netherlands. 

The most widely circulated of his designs were the ones for the ‘old’ money. 

The Tax & Customs Museum’s collection includes medals, plaques and bicycle tax plates by Wienecke. 

He designed his first bicycle tax plate in 1924. 

The oldest bicycle tax plate designed by Wienecke in the museum’s collection dates from 1930. Wienecke remained the permanent bicycle tax plate designer until the bicycle tax was abolished during the German occupation.