Correspondence

This gallery collects correspondence from, to and about Nico Bulder. 

In the late 1950s, Nico Bulder wanted to expand his skills to also create copper etchings. He asked his fellow graphical artist Prof. Hubert Woyty-Wimmer (Wien, Austria, click here for more info.) for advice on how to do this. Here is the response from Prof. Wimmer. The letter is dated Oct 31, 1957.

Prof. Wimmer was also a renowned ex-libris creator; their shared interest in ex-libris probably led to their mutual acquaintance. A few samples are attached to give you an idea about Prof. Wimmer’s talents.

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Although no major battles were fought in the Northern part of The Netherlands, World War II also had a major impact on the well being of the inhabitants of Groningen and Hoogezand-Sappemeer especially in the winter of 1944. After the failure of Operation Market Garden( for more info, click here) the country was split in two, whereby the area South of the river Rhine was liberated, while the Northern area was still under brutal Nazi control. A terrible famine occurred as a result ( for more info, click here).

The Dutch Resistance was very active in Groningen. Sadly, many brave Resistance fighters were murdered during the Nazi reign. According to his niece Sien, Nico Bulder often slipped out of his house at night during WW II on unknown business. Although he never talked about his experiences, a number of self made Nazi stamps were found in his estate. We have unidentified photos of some of those, but the actual forged stamps were lost. If anybody can help us locate these stamps or provide more info, we would be very grateful. If you want to learn more about the Resistance in Groningen click here for more info.

After the Liberation, the mayor of Hoogezand-Sappemeer organized a militia (“Burgerwacht”). Nico Bulder created its commemorative charter. In attached letter, the mayor expresses his gratitude. In the illustration, the word “Neuschans” stands out. “Neuschans” is the German name of the Dutch border town “Nieuwerschans”. During the war, many Dutch men were forced to provide labor on German farms and factories. The men from Groningen departed from the station in Neuschans/Nieuwerschans. When the war came to an end, the German soldiers who had occupied the North of the Netherlands and especially Groningen went through that same station in Neuschans/Nieuwerschans on their way home. The German soldiers in the illustration go in the direction indicated by the “Neuschans” sign post.

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The “Groninger Museum” organized a special exhibition in commemoration of Nico Bulder from September 19 until October 25 1964. Evert Musch gave the openings speech. Click here to read this memorable speech.