For about 40 years, the well-known Dutch chocolate brand Verkade published albums in which to paste pictures. Not only Verkade but also other brands such as Douwe Egberts did this. For decades it was a popular activity in many households.
View the collection of Verkade pictures
Origin of the Verkade albums
Verkade was founded in 1886 as a biscuit and chocolate brand. The brand quickly became a typical Dutch product that could be found in all households.
In 1903 the brand started publishing picture albums which were originally German fairy tale albums. The pictures that could be stuck in the albums were in the packaging of Verkade products. At that time this was a form of advertising. Especially because the brand was advertised on the back.
After success, Verkade decided to design their own albums and they chose themes that were loved by the Dutch public, nature. Because of this they started releasing albums of the seasons.
The quality of the albums increased and the collection of pictures was such a success that Verkade hired additional staff to continue carrying out the campaign. For example, the brand offered the opportunity to exchange pictures.
In total, Verkade has released 30 different albums, selling a total of approximately 3.2 million copies.
Collect Verkade pictures
In the first years, the pictures were put in the packaging of the Verkade products. Later these became vouchers/stamps that could be saved and exchanged for specific pictures.
These could be sent by post.
Verkade albums released
This is the overview of Verkade's published albums per year:
| No. | Year | Album | Author | Pictures for sale at The World of Kant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1903 | Picture album 1, series AX | Not yet | |
| 2 | 1904 | Picture album 2, series 25-48 |
Not yet |
|
| 3 | 1905 | Picture album 3, series 49-72 | Not yet | |
| 4 | 1906 | Spring | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 5 | 1907 | Summer | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 6 | 1908 | Autumn | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 7 | 1909 | Winter | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 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 | Bosch and Heide | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 12 | 1914 | Along the Zuiderzee | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 13 | 1915 | The Fight | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 14 | 1916 | The IJsel | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 15 | 1918 | Friesland | Jac. P. Thijsse | Not yet |
| 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 | Seawater 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 her 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 making the Verkade records and albums in 1940 due to the outbreak of the Second World War. They did not return after the war. In 1975, the Seasons albums, Verkade's first four official albums, were reissued. She used the 4th edition 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
Nowadays the Verkade pictures are back again. The albums are no longer made but are still collected. And not only by people who collect the albums, but especially by enthusiasts of the vintage records. They are often used when creating an art journal or snail mail. Snailmail is the creation of letters, cards and mail where the art is not the text but the layout and design. Snailmail and journaling have been extremely popular on Instagram and Pinterest in recent years. Mainly in America, where scrapbooking, the artistic and creative layout of a photo album, has been practiced for decades.
You can also use the pictures to make your own cards or decorate your home.
These hundred-year-old pictures still inspire many people. Where they used to be collected in albums, we now see them coming back in all kinds of other creative ways. At De Wereld van Kant you can buy these old pictures for your creative projects.