Preparing the Blaudruck journey

Blueprint by Deventer Katoenmaatschappij, or Ankersmit at the Vlisco archive

A year ago I was starting my travels in Southeast Asia and was preparing my first guided tour. I was hoping to go this October, but we had to postponed the tour to May 2027. Contact aNERDgallery for more info. One of the reasons is that I am at the moment working on an Batik exhibition for the Kunstmuseum in Den Haag that has to be opened in March. So exciting, soon more info! 

Being away while still having to work on it, didn’t seem like the best combination. Hopefully when the exhibition opened, I can stay a bit longer again in Southeast-Asia.

This is also why my blog was not updated on my recent Batik adventures, or actually Blaudruck adventure!

In Staphorst this design is called 'glasses', it looks a lot like the batik motif Kawung

Box full of headscarfs at the Museum Staphorst

In November I got the news I was selected by KF Hein Fonds as one of the ‘Grensverleggers’ artists. My plan, which was a longtime wish, was to dive into the tradition of Blaudruck. Blaudruck is one of the few textile dyeing traditions still active in Europe. It is a resist-technique with blockprinting and Indigo dyeing, which was copied from Indian blockprinting techniques.

During this journey into Blaudruck I am doing a deep dive into the traditional Blaudruck technique to uncover more on how the cotton printing industry in the Netherlands worked. How was the technique adapted to create products for the Southeast-Asian market? How did patterns change or were made to fit the use abroad?

Selection of blocks from Heyder & Co and Voortman from the Momu collection

Old label on block from Heyder & Co from the Momu collection

This type of motif is still being worn in Staphorst, originally probably based on an Indian woven textile

In March I met two Japanese researchers during the Textile festival in Leiden, they invited me a couple of days later to join them to see blockprint blocks & lace at the Museum Momu depot near Antwerpen (BE). 

I always wanted to see the blocks they had of Heyder & Co, the later Leidsche Katoenmaatschappij (LKM), so I was very happy.  At Momu they house a small collection of blocks, most from Voortman – nv Texas (1790-1988), a few from Heyder & Co, next to samplebooks, which I have to see next time. The blocks are kept at a remote depot. 

The blocks we got to see were with diverse motifs, used to copy woven patterns like Kasmir shawls onto cotton, but also make imitation batik & chintz and blue printing. Some blocks were in pairs, so to print the base/background and to do the filling motif, very interesting to see. 

There were several boxes filled with blocks I didn't get to see this time, but hope I will in the near future.

At the Vlisco archive

Headscarfs by Ankersmit at the Vlisco archive

Imitation batik sarong with tumpal by Ankersmit at the Vlisco archive

Samples of Imitation batik by Ankersmit at the Vlisco archive

In March I revisited the Vlisco archive in Helmond (NL). I saw in 2018 several blueprints, or actually blue fabrics with a white motif due to a resist print, that were produced by Ankersmit. 

In the early 19th century this small cotton-printing company in the Netherlands specialised in a niche market, blue with white patterned headscarves for men in Southeast Asia, mostly Sumatra. Only through archival research and actual headscarves kept it private collections this product revealed itself. For a long time the company Ankersmit (1798-1965) in Deventer of the Netherlands was considered not to be making any imitation batiks for the Southeast Asian market. They were known for their wax prints production for West Africa that started around 1910. 

The company was founded in 1798 in a small house with just a indigo-bath and making something called ‘Leminias’ which they shipped to different ports in Southeast Asia. Leminias is a fabric with a blue base and a white motif or the other way around. The technique looks most like Blaudruck, which is still practiced in Europe. Examining surviving headscarves and smaller samples, the motifs produced by Ankersmit are a combination of Blaudruck motifs and batik borders. The questions arose, did they made these products for a European market first, since these textiles are part of traditional wears for European women, and found a new market abroad by chance? Or did they based them on existing headscarves from these regions? How did Ankersmit create their products for the Sumatran market? Since Blaudruck has it origin in India, and therefore the motifs too, was there first a production going from India to Southeast Asia with blue and white cloths, before Europe?

The hope is through this journey to find the answers to these questions by further archival research and field work. By visiting existing Blaudruck workshops and comparing the still made patterns with old samples & wood blocks.

Fancy storage tin box used in Staphorst to store headscarfs and handkerchiefs 

Collection of Johan de Bruijn

Box full of headscarfs and handkerchiefs at the Museum Staphorst

Blocks and cloths from Firma K.F. Vloedgraven. 

The last company still selling and making blueprinted fabrics in Staphorst. 

Display at the Museum Staphorst

Photo by Willem F. van Heemskerck Düker taken on 7 August 1948 in Staphorst, showing women covering their heads with headscarfs because of rain. 

This photo is part of the temporary exhibition on photography & Staphorst, with a long history of photographers taking (and staging) photos of this community still wearing traditional wear with, but more often without consent.

On 24 April I got to visit the small towns Rouveen & Staphorst (NL) where blaudruck are still part of daily wear. The few traditional wear wearers use blue dyed fabrics as a headscarf when it is raining & as a handkerchief. 

In the past different sellers brought these cloths to the towns, later there even was locally a blueprinter, but now they go for the vintage ones. Sold when one if the wearers pass over. I got a headscarf during one of those events, but most times the prices go pretty high. 

I was welcomed by Jacco Hooikammer to take a look first at the collection of Johan de Bruijn, and later we went to see the Museum Staphorst collection. We even stopped at the former blueprinter shop, still a textile shop that now used the old blueprint blocks to do dot-work (stipwerk).

What a fun day, learned so much about the names & what quality markers are important to the wearers. Also about the difference between old blaudruck, newer ones and even the fake one (machine printed).

Thank you Jacco & Johan for welcoming me at your homes & hometown. It was a great preparation for my journey to Austria, see next blogpost!

Me and Jacco studying Johan's collection

Real and imitation batik to end 2025

Examining a baby traditional wear jacket made from different pieces of imitation batik. 

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Photo by Jacco Hooikammer

Posing with their just finished batiks at the Indonesian Embassy Copenhagen op 5 December

Performer during the Untold Empowerment with Black Harmony Winti concert, 

dressed in (imitation/printed textiles with) Batik (motifs)

Wrote in my post 'Bulan Batik' in November that I just got two more negative results on funding applications. Making that six this years…Most of these were written together with others; scholars, organisaties, even museums. In every application goes much work and even more hope, so it made me sad it all seemed so fruitless. 

I was also trying to finish a batik for an exhibition, struggling to keep the wax warm & the last flying bees away. I started working in the our shed. Not ideal, resulting in much craquelé on the batik, just so I can send it before the holiday season to Singapore. The work was just in the mail when I got great news that I can go, and be part of the program held at aNERDgallery during Singapore Art Week!

I end this year with receiving two positive results. For two applications allowing me to travel. This January to Singapore, thanks to the International Voucher by Mondriaan Fonds. And later in May to Austria to dive into Blaudruck block printing technique still happening there thanks to KF Hein Grensverlegger-beurs . Looking forward to it so much & makes me feel very lucky. 

It has been 16 years since I have gotten a positive result from Mondriaan personally. Exhibitions & projects I worked on had been granted by them, luckily, but I think it is beautiful that my first journey, back then it was called Fonds BKVB, and now this upcoming journey have been made possible by them!

On Sunday 2 November went for two days to Enschede with Koen. Was invited a while back to come see the collection at the Museumfabriek which has collections of former cottonprinting companies. It was the perfect moment to combine it with the exhibition celebrating 70 years of art by herman de vries. On Monday we went to the depot of the Museumfabriek. In the past Enschede had a museum focussed on textiles and the former Stichting Textielhistorie was located in this textile historic city. Different collections ended up at the Museumfabriek were apart from some very big weaving looms, hardly any textile related objects are on display. In the depot on Monday I got to look at Batik & imitation batik, on rolls and in sample books. Great & interesting to see part of what is kept here, and for sure something to dive into further in the near future.

Koen in depot Museumfabriek Enschede, with batik from the collection

Batiks on rolls in in depot Museumfabriek Enschede

Calender machine at Museumfabriek in Enschede.

Calendering is a finishing process used on cloth and fabrics. 

A calender is employed, usually to smooth, coat, or thin a material

On Thursday 6 November I joined visiting PhD candidate Prerana Nair to see several Patola cloths from the Wereldmuseum Leiden collection. We met in Edinburgh in 2022 when we were both part of the Dress Historian symposium. We stayed in touch through Instagram, mostly me bombarding her with things I came across on Patola in relation with use in Indonesia. It was wonderful to catch up, not just at the depot, but in between also. An absolutely fantastic to get a look at these textile with someone with so much knowledge on them. Wonderful to learn more on these textiles & to spend time. Looking forward to your next visit.

Prerana Nair examining Patalo from the Wereldmuseum collection

Got to join two events that were organized to celebrate 50 years independence of Suriname from Dutch colonial rule. Good to see there was much organized in the Netherlands.

On 12 November Tailors and wearers gave a workshop Angisa folding at KB in Den Haag. Folding turned out more difficult than I anticipated, so took some photos in between trying for the KB. 

On 22 November I was at the KIEN Intangible heritage day in Rotterdam which ended with a great Winti concert by Untold Empowerment with Black Harmony. Of course had to capture the moments of the performers wearing Batik motifs.

Also made a quick visit to ‘Angisa Taki’, exhibition by Tailors & Wearers at De Doelen in Rotterdam with a video-installation by Yanira Gefferie & Lana Renfrum including dance and a display of unfolded angisa.

Tailors & Wearers Angisa folding workshop at KB in Den Haag

Performer during the Untold Empowerment with Black Harmony Winti concert, 

dressed in (imitation/printed textiles with) Batik (motifs)

Performers during the Untold Empowerment with Black Harmony Winti concert, 

dressed in (imitation/printed textiles with) Batik (motifs)

Video-installation by Yanira Gefferie & Lana Renfrum Angisa Taki’, 

exhibition by Tailors & Wearers at De Doelen in Rotterdam 

On 27 November got to give another guest lecture at UvA, second one for Jenny Boulboulle textile history & Art course which this time was called ‘The Interwoven Globe’.

We wanted also to do a hands-on part, not just talk about textiles; how they are made, used, lost & retold,  So we started the lesson with tie-dye. They already learned & read about Cotton, Indigo, Batik, Patola (double ikat) and more. Using beads, elastic bands & thread dipped in Indigo they made their own versions of plangi/tritik/shibori/tie-dye.

The Indigo vat was made by Rian Lenting & Jenny for their research on the Leidse woolen blankets ‘Black Magic’. It was fun to see the students reactions to the colour change. The greenish blue, going to a darker blue.

After the knotting, dipping, oxidizing & untying, I shared on the history of Batik & imitation batik. In between we did a round of "what resist-dye is it?". They had three textiles & three resist-dye techniques. I went through the different ways of resist-dyeing and the names. After they made up their minds which could be what, we discussed what they saw to unravel the technique. They did really well.

End the end I had several imitations, so silkscreen printed, machine printed, block-printed with only colour. Only one real batik was included. They had to see if the textile in front of them was a real or fake batik. It was great to see they used the earlier determined pieces, to compare the fabric to. All concluded correctly.

It is amazing to share about Batik & my work and research within a university context without coming from a university background. Bringing actual textiles, letting them work on textiles from the UvA collection, so they can look, feel and get to know the fabrics they read about. It is so important, and Jenny does this so well in this program.

Students at UvA trying to match the technique to the correct textile during my guestlecture

Posing with the tie-dye Indigo dipped results

To prepare and hang out, me and Jenny also went to the exhibition 'Unseen talent, Women of the Amsterdam School' at Museum Het Schip. It runs till 28 June 2026, so go and see. I will just highlight the batik works in this post by Cathrien Bogtman. 

Around 1900, batik became popular with Dutch artists and designers via the still-colonised Indonesia. The arts and crafts studio Bogman from Hilversum develops its own variant of the batik technique. This technique was applied to materials such as velvet and silk, and even wood and celluloid. The studio flourishes through the production of batik art objects in the expressive Amsterdam School style

The middle son, Louis Bogtman (1900-1969), is recognised in art history as the designer of the studio. However, his elder sister Cathrien Bogtman (1898-1973) also plays a crucial role in the studio. She introduces the batik technique to the family. Moreover, correspondence reveals that she makes artistic choices regarding the colourings of Louis's designs. She manages 10 female employees in the execution of the designs, including family members. The arts and crafts studio Bogtman demonstrates how design is a collective process. in which many women participate. 

Cathrien is inventive and enterprising. From 1925, she and her husband manage a second studio. Here, the entire production of lamps is performed solely by female employees. Sketchbooks also reveal that she created designs herself.

Read the text next to a photo of Cathrien Bogtman in a full batik look. They have batik on wood, leather and velours d'Utrecht (Trijp) which is a mixture of cotton and wool, by her. All from around 1925. 

Display on Cathrien Bogtman as shown in Museum Het Schip

Batik on leather by Cathrien Bogtman, at Museum Het Schip

Batik on velours d'Utrecht on Cathrien Bogtman, at Museum Het Schip

This december an article-interview with me is published in the magazine Handwerken zonder grenzen (Crafts without borders). During the Ambacht in Beeld festival, one of my participants was of the magazine Handwerken zonder grenzen. A magazine with a long historie. Founded by Henriette and Henk Beukers in 1978 the magazine featured textile crafts from around the world. I own several editions featuring articles on batik. In 2002 Henriette and Henk Beukers stopped themselves, but the magazine is still made today.

I got emailed by Yvonne Philippa if she could interview me for the magazine. She visited my exhibition ‘Masa depan Batik‘ and interviewed me. At the end of the interview she told me she was planning a visit to Indonesia and would love to dive into batik again. I said jokingly; “Well let me know if you need any tips, I am like a tourist information for Batik”. Hence the title became “Ik ben een soort VVV voor Batik” (“I am a kind of Association for Tourism for Batik”).

You can order a copy of ‘Handwerken voor grenzen’ no 252 here: shop.handwerkenzondergrenzen.nl

Interview/article in Handwerken voor grenzen no 252

My collection of old Handwerken voor grenzen with batik articles in them

On 5 December I got to give a batikworkshop at the Indonesian embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. Of course it feels like an upside down world to be invited to do this, but bare in mind that the way I give batik lessons is very much adapted to work in an inside, colder environment. As always I do use the canting, waxpen, from Java, brought several batiks & books on batik with me and on a loop photos of the makers of Java that I took along my journeys were shown.

I was informed mostly spouses of ambassadors would join, but to our surprise also the ambassadors themselves joined. The ambassador of Indonesia herself joined both sessions to make Batik.

The participants had 1,5 hour to make their own batik, very short considering this is normally a process of several weeks. On a small size, using the canting and adding colours by brush, all 45 participants made their own unique batik. Next to many butterflies & birds, there were batiks inspired by flowers, Christmas, even Labubu made an appearance. 

It was an amazing experience. Before we had a lot of back and forths on the materials, making me have some worries, what if this was missing, or did not work. Carried myself 4 kilo’s of beewax, the right cotton & dyes, extra cantings, just to be sure. Our preparations were good, we missed nothing and all batiks turned out great!

Batikworkshop at the Indonesian Embassy Copenhagen op 5 December

Labubu in Batik

Second group posing with finished batik at the Indonesian Embassy Copenhagen op 5 December

While in Copenhagen I manage to see two amazing textile collections on display and even found Danish made Batik. 

At the Design Museum Danmark the exhibition ‘The Power of Print’ showcases textiles from the greatest Danish fabric printers throughout history, and displaying new textiles from current Danish textile printers. Rooms & rooms filled with patterned textiles, a true feast for the eyes. The way it is displayed, with the texts also printed on textiles, is gorgeous. Some really inspiring display cases, I love me some drawers to go through. 

And even three pieces made with Batik!! A scarf on silk by Lissen Ewald in 1930 & two pieces on cotton by Ebbe Sadolin & Mana von Hausen Sadolin from 1925 that were shown in Paris during the International exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. 

Batik was introduced in Denmark in early 20th century. It gained popularity between 1920 and 1925, after it was adapted in the Netherland in the Art Nouveau movement. So the inspiration didn't come directly from Indonesia, but through the European Arts & Crafts movement in which it was used mostly in home decor. 

In the Spring of 1924 Mana von Hausen (1898-1993), not yet married to Ebbe Sadolin (1900-1982), presented batik in the gallery Kunstboden in Copenhagen, where she also demonstrated the technique in public. A year later, she exhibited again, with Ebbe, and showed furnishing & clothing fabrics. All her works featured animals and flowers in multiple colours, while he presented wall hangings and more, in monochrome. The pieces they showed at International exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts can be seen as 'a peak example of Danish batik', as stated in the catalog/book of this exhibition. These batik pieces ended up in the museum collection, of which two were shown. 

The other batik piece on display was a silk scarf by Lissen Ewald (1890-1957). Of this the catalog just mentioned it was presented in Paris as well. The scarf resembles in design more a slendang, with long lines on each edge. The colours, brown and blue, are like traditional batik, but the figures give it a more Scandinavian feel.

The exhibition end on 4 January 2026. There is also a great catalog ‘Danish Textile Prints, 100 years of Craft and Design’.

 Exhibition ‘The Power of Print’ at the Design Museum Danmark

Batik on cotton by Ebbe Sadolin & Mana von Hausen Sadolin, 1925

Collection the Design Museum Danmark

Silk Batik scarf by Lissen Ewald , 1925

Collection the Design Museum Danmark

Searching for textiles in museum in Copenhagen online, the David collection came up. The islamic collection holds many very old textiles, like ikat from the 5th century, woven cloths from the 15th century , Batik Besurek (batik with calligraphy motif) from the 19th century and much much more. I think I never saw so many, so old textiles. The museum is amazing in its layout. Each room is filled with the most marvelous pieces. The collection was brought/bought together by Christian Ludvig David (1878-1960), a lawyer and business man from an already wealthy family. In 1917 he started creating what is now the museum showing his collection. Next to textiles, it has so many breathtaking objects. Wonder of course about the what/where/how/why of this collection, in connection to Denmarks colonial past, but since all information in the museum is in Danish, I don’t know if it is mentioned/explained. 

What a visit it was. I was in Copenhagen once before in 2008 with my parents. Happy I could re-visit, doing a batikworkshop at the Indonesian embassy & in between seeing these inspiring museums

Tiny ikat from the 5th century, the David collection

 Batik Besurek (batik with calligraphy motif) from the 19th century, the David collection

Calligraphy in stone and textile, the David collection

View in the David collection

Was invited to see the possible batik, most likely imitation Batik collection of the Openluchtmuseum Arnhem on 15 December. 

We started with a block printed kasmir imitation scarf. In this room the bigger pieces of textiles are on rolls, reaching the ceiling. To look at these, they need to be removed with a forklift. So you can imagine the size of the space! 

The blockprint in multiple colours  looked for me too precise to be European made. On the edge with the fringes in the center is printed an Arabic (?) text. It looks like it is something you suppose to remove or turn into fringes when you buy it. So maybe it is information of the seller? If anyone knows, please comment below.

Block print with text in fringes

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

We went from room to room in the massive collection building in Amersfoort, which houses next to the Openluchtmuseum collection many more collections. In the next room we looked at everything to do with domestic culture, so textiles used in and around the house. There were several curtains that used all types of imitation batiks, so Java & Wax prints. Very bright and colourful. The squared shaped curtains were made for the box bed (bedstee). How fun they used Java Print Good Living, among other designs! 

Curtain for bed box using Good Living.

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

We continued with clothing in two other rooms. There were many small pieces, used to pin on the chest, parts of traditional wear, since most Dutch wear was pinned on to create the multiple layered outfits. But also complete baby jackets and aprons used all kind of (Dutch) imitation batik, but also imitation chintz, or already adapted for the West-African market Wax Prints. Among all the textiles we saw, only one was a real batik, made for (European) tourism with big Wayang figures used as wall hanging. 

Most of these colourful textiles were used mixed with also colourful textiles on the Dutch island Marken.  A few years ago I already wrote about how blue & white Wax Print ended up on boys aprons, but that was definitely not the only use. 

Thanks Jacco Hooikammer for the invite, lovely to look at these pieces and for sharing with me how these pieces were used traditionally in the Netherlands. An inspirational (imitation)batikful day, for sure to be continued!

Jackets for children

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Small part of an imitation batik/Java print to pin on to the chest

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Baby jacket made from Wax Print

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Collection Openluchtmuseum Arnhem. 

Photo by Jacco Hooikammer

My last depot day of this year was on Friday 19 December. After making a Wereldverhaal (Word story) for the Wereldmuseum on Kebaya, me and Francine Brinkgreve couldn’t fit in all the stories we wanted to share. To prepare for a follow up story we looked at several items donated by the families Kan-Han-Tan. 

The first donation in 2015 resulted in a small exhibition in the Wereldmuseum Leiden called ‘Verbinding van culturen: Chinezen uit Indonesië in Nederland’ (Connecting cultures: Chinese people from Indonesia in the Netherlands). In the following years more was donated by the families, including a complete family altar, a Chinese traditional wedding costume, and more recently some more kebayas and photographs. 

For our upcoming story we will look at how photographs in the collection can help us (re-)telling the history of the kebaya in more recent years. Also in this way, these not yet fully documented & processed kebayas can already be featured online instead of waiting to be on display one day. 

Last depot visit of the year

Kebaya in the box it was transported in from the depot to the museum

At the moment enjoying some free days, which I really needed. Looking forward to be in Singapore this January. If you are in town, please come visit ‘The Cloth Remembers’ at aNERDgallery, opening 15 January 2016, program during the first weekend & during SAW. 

Dear readers, would like to thank everyone who follows my journey to Batik through my blog. I am every time surprised and feel honoured if people tell me they have been reading/following me. I hope I can share many more batik related stories with you this new year. Sharing this journey with you all keeps me going!

Salam Canting & Selamat Tahun Baru (Happy New Year)!