For about 40 years, the well-known Dutch chocolate brand Verkade published albums for pasting pictures. Not only Verkade, but also other brands like Douwe Egberts did this. For decades, it was a popular activity in many households.
View the Verkade picture collection
Origin of the Verkade albums
Verkade was founded in 1886 as a biscuit and chocolate brand. It quickly became a quintessential Dutch product found in every household.
In 1903, the brand began publishing picture albums, originally German fairy tale albums. The pictures that could be pasted into the albums were included in the packaging of Verkade products. At the time, this was a form of advertising, especially because the brand's advertising was featured on the back.
After their success, Verkade decided to design their own albums, choosing themes popular with the Dutch public, such as nature. This led them to publish seasonal albums.
The quality of the albums improved, and the record collection was such a success that Verkade hired additional staff to continue the campaign. The brand also offered the option of exchanging records.
In total, Verkade released 30 different albums, selling a total of approximately 3.2 million copies.
Collecting Verkade pictures
In the early years, the cards were included in the packaging of Verkade products. Later, these became coupons/stamps that could be collected and exchanged for specific cards.
These could be sent by post.
Verkade albums released
This is an overview of Verkade's released albums by year:
| No. | Year | Album | Author | Pictures for sale at The World of Lace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1903 | Picture album 1, series AX | Yes, click here | |
| 2 | 1904 | Picture album 2, series 25-48 | ||
| 3 | 1905 | Picture album 3, series 49-72 |
Yes, click here |
|
| 4 | 1906 | Spring | Jac. P. Thijsse |
Yes, click here |
| 5 | 1907 | Summer | Jac. P. Thijsse |
Yes, click here |
| 6 | 1908 | Autumn | Jac. P. Thijsse |
Yes, click here |
| 7 | 1909 | Winter | Jac. P. Thijsse |
Yes, click here |
| 8 | 1910 | Blonde Dunes | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 9 | 1911 | Variegated Wei | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 10 | 1912 | The Naardermeer | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 11 | 1913 | Forest and Heath | Jac. P. Thijsse | Yes, click here |
| 12 | 1914 | Along the Zuiderzee | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 13 | 1915 | The Vecht | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 14 | 1916 | The IJssel | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 15 | 1918 | Friesland | Jac. P. Thijsse |
Yes, click here |
| 16 | 1925 | My Aquarium | AFJ Portielje | Not yet |
| 17 | 1926 | The Flowers in our Garden | Jac. P. Thijsse | Yes, click here |
| 18 | 1927 | Texel | Jac. P. Thijsse | Yes, click here |
| 19 | 1928 | Houseplants | AJ van Laren | Yes, click here |
| 20 | 1929 | Mushrooms | Jac. P. Thijsse | Yes, click here |
| 21 | 1930 | Marine aquarium and terrarium | AFJ Portielje | Yes , click here |
| 22 | 1931 | Cacti | AJ van Laren | Yes , click here |
| 23 | 1932 | Succulents | AJ van Laren | Yes , click here |
| 24 | 1934 | The Flowers and their Friends | Jac. P. Thijsse | Yes, click here |
| 25 | 1935 | Hans the Tower Crow | HE Kuylman | Yes , click here |
| 26 | 1936 | The Farm | HE Kuylman | Yes , click here |
| 27 | 1937 | Where we live | Jac. P. Thijsse | Yes , click here |
| 28 | 1938 | Our Great Rivers | Jac. P. Thijsse | Yes, click here |
| 29 | 1939 | Animal life in Artis | AFJ Portielje | Yes, click here |
| 30 | 1940 | Monkeys and Ungulates in Artis | AFJ Portielje | Yes , click here |
Reissue of Verkade albums
As mentioned, Verkade stopped producing the Verkade picture books and albums in 1940 due to the outbreak of World War II. They did not return after the war. In 1975, the season albums, the first four official Verkade albums, were reissued in a reissue. They used the fourth printing of the original albums from 1910. This reissue was produced by Zomer & Keuning Boeken BV in Wageningen in collaboration with the Association for the Preservation of Natural Monuments in the Netherlands.
Loved by collectors and enthusiasts of snailmail, art journaling and scrapbooking
These days, Verkade images are making a real comeback. While the albums are no longer produced, they are still collected. This isn't just done by collectors, but especially by enthusiasts of the vintage images. They're often used in art journals or snail mail. Snail mail is the creation of letters, cards, and mail where the art lies not in the text but in the layout and design. Snail mail and journaling have become incredibly popular on Instagram and Pinterest in recent years, especially in America, where scrapbooking—the artistic and creative design of a photo album—has been practiced for decades.
You can also use the pictures to make your own cards or to decorate your home.
These century-old pictures still inspire many people. Where they used to be collected in albums, we now see them reappear in all sorts of other creative ways. At De wereld van Kant, you can buy these old pictures for your creative projects.