Ontwerpen voor een vignet voor de Vereeniging Elckerlyc te Amsterdam c. 1900 - 1907

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof made these vignette designs for the Vereeniging Elckerlyc in Amsterdam using graphite. This was a society dedicated to the Dutch play "Elckerlyc," an allegory about the pilgrimage of the common man to his final judgement. Dijsselhof made these designs at a time when printed materials were becoming increasingly important in defining Dutch cultural identity. Around the turn of the century, there was growing interest in typography and book design as part of the Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasized the importance of traditional craftsmanship. The design’s motifs reference the imagery of the medieval morality play, linking it to a longer cultural history. Dijsselhof's designs reflect a desire to create a visual language that speaks to both the past and the present, contributing to the construction of Dutch cultural heritage through the institutions of art and literature. As historians, we use archival materials from organizations like the Vereeniging Elckerlyc, as well as printed ephemera like playbills and journals, to better understand the social function of art.