In September 1935 Maurits Cornelis Escher made a woodcut for his cousin Anne Escher (1895-1971), the founder and director of engineering company Ir. Escher’s Constructiewerkplaatsen en Machinefabriek N.V. The company, founded in 1925, would grow into a major metalworking company, which by the 1950s had the largest factory hall in The Hague.
M.C. Escher, Trademark (Welder), woodcut, September 1935. Cliché (4.7 x 3.3 cm)
Letterhead from the SHIE collection
In 1930 the company started using stick welding. Maurits Escher used the welder with his distinctive hood for the woodcut, which was to be used as a logo for his cousin. Anton was very happy with the result and paid him 60 guilders. Quite a sum of money, if you compare it to the total of sixteen prints Escher sold in 1935, for 109 guilders*. Despite this well-paid commission, it proved to be a very bad year financially. The logo can be seen on a letterhead from the collection of the SHIE (The Hague Industrial Heritage).
Anne Escher’s factory on 2e Van der Kunstraat, 1947. Photo: collection The Hague Municipal Archive
The new production hall (opened 1957) on Planeetkade, 1960. Photo: collection The Hague Municipal Archive
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