Het Reclamearsenaal
(The Advertising Arsenal)
... People want new, enticing, original and striking forms, an attractive drawing, a distinctive layout, a remarkable font and a special new paper ...
This text from De papiermolen: tijdschrift voor de grafische vakken outlines the scope of the vast collection of the Reclamearsenaal (The Advertising Arsenal). The Reclamearsenaal originated in 2001 from a fusion between the Nederlands Reclamearchief (Dutch Advertising Archive, 1981) and the Nederlands Reclame Museum (Dutch Advertising Museum, 1975).
The collection of books, printed matter, advertisements, periodicals, brochures, scrapbooks and posters from the Reclamearsenaal has largely been sorted, entered and made accessible in the Online catalogue featuring over 9,000 descriptions. It is retrievable both as a whole and by individual items under the collection codes NRM and RA. All this and more can be consulted on the website www.reclamearsenaal.nl.
As many as 8000 posters, published from the end of the 19th century till this day, are available in the Online Public Catalogue. The entries are by product, company and title. The collection contains many beautiful posters and advertisements of the companies Van Nelle, Philips, Verkade, Van Houten, and Tomado, theatre posters by Charles Verschuuren jr, film posters by Joop van den Berg, advertising for tobacco and liquor by Frans Mettes, and filmposters from the thirties designed by Joop van den Berg. Here you'll find an exhibition of a selection of the collection (text in dutch).
The books, brochures and serials - about 700 items altogether - are all included, even the ones already present in the IISH collection. The following are but a few of the titles: Muziek in de reclame [Music in advertising], Reclame in oorlogstijd [Advertising during the war], Op gevels geschreven [Messages on gables], De verborgen verleiders [Hidden temptations], Alles over behang [All about wallpaper], Twaalf wenken voor succes en geluk [Twelve hints for success and happiness].
The collection comprises many commemorative and anniversary albums that match the vast NEHA collection in this area. Some examples: Honderd jaren lettergieterij in Amsterdam [A century of letter casting in Amsterdam], Vijfentwintig jaar Vrij Nederland [Twenty-five years of Vrij Nederland], Brinkers' Margarinefabrieken 1878-1953 [Brinkers' margarine factories 1878-1953], 150 Jaren Van Gend & Loos 1796-1946 [150 years of Van Gend & Loos 1796-1946]. The 133 different periodicals feature fine specimens of graphic design in advertising as well. Prikkels, huisorgaan van Proost en Brandt (1952-1981) is a wonderful magazine issued in many different designs. Each issue looks entirely different.
There are also complete volumes of De Reclame (1922-1938), Revue der reclame (1938-1972), Ariadne (1946-1983) and of course the Jaarboek van de Art Directors Club Nederland (almost complete from 1973 to 1996).
The 229 descriptions in the catalogue provide access to over 800 scrapbooks. The quality of the scrapbooks varies. Pages stick together, or the pictures may be loose. The books recapture the advertising in dailies and weeklies in the years following World War II. The entries are by agency, such as: Bauduin Marketing, Palm, Reclamebureau De La Mar and GGK Amsterdam. Names of brands and companies have been included wherever possible.
Over 160 scrapbooks are from Reclamebureau De La Mar and contain prints of advertisements and clippings from the different media for products of the Koninklijke Verkade Fabrieken (Zaandam) and Philips Nederland N.V. Other scrapbooks present advertisements for government staff (state information service, Ministry of Defence) and clippings for the Aidsfonds Amsterdam.