Theo Molkenboer

Diagnoses

Vocation

Dutch painter and designer, notably of book covers and posters. He was also an expert on the history of Dutch folk costumes and wrote several short works on that subject. Following the example of his brother, Antoon, he made lengthy stays in the United States to give personal service to his American customers. He spent much of the years 1909 to 1913 living there, mostly in Boston and Washington. His most prestigious commission was a portrait of President William Howard Taft, who posed for him in 1912 at the White House. On returning to the Netherlands, he began his collection of Dutch costumes and organized the first Festival of National Costumes, held in September 1913. He spent the next few years travelling throughout the Low Countries, taking photographs and collecting data on the local folk costumes, which were in danger of disappearing. He put together a booklet that was published in 1917. His battles with government bureaucracy left him exhausted and he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. He went to a sanatorium in Lugano in the Swiss Alps, seeking a cure, but died a few months later, on 1 December 1920. His art works and collections were auctioned off the following year. In 2010, his painting "The Toilette" was used on the Netherlands 44 Eurocent postage stamp. Link to Wikipedia biography