Poetry for Scheveningen

This book from the in Luxemburg born Auguste Clavareau (1787-1864) is rare and special because it’s scarce but even more because the first two pages, featuring the frontispiece and the title page, I found two handwritten texts from 1841, the same year the book was published. Beneath the frontispiece, which includes a lithograph of Scheveningen, is the signature of the lithographer Desguerrois. He declares that the lithograph was printed and produced at his printing house in Amsterdam. On the title page, printer L.E. Bosch states that the work was printed and published at his printing house in Utrecht. While such a statement from a printer is more common, that of the lithographer is exceptional.

The collection contains translated and original works by Auguste Clavareau (1787-1864). Auguste was a Luxembourg-born Dutch tax official and literary figure. He was a Catholic and an Orangist, known as a poet, playwright, essayist, and translator. He was widely loved and admired, as evidenced by his titles: Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, Knight of the Order of the Oak Crown, member of the Society of Dutch Literature in Leiden, and member of literary societies in Ghent, Liège, and Athens. Clavareau initially wrote poetry in French but later also in Dutch. He became most famous for his translations of Dutch poets such as Tollens, Van Alphen, Feith, Helmers, and others. He was greatly appreciated by French writers like Victor Hugo, Marmier, and Lamartine. This collection contains both translations and his original work.

None of the poems in this copy, however, are about Scheveningen. So why a lithograph of Scheveningen as a frontispiece? Those who read further will find out. The book is dedicated to the four widows and nineteen orphans of the victims of the sunken boat (flibot) Vrouw Pieternella Pronk. This vessel from Scheveningen sank on October 1/2, 1840, when it struck a wreck north of Yarmouth (Norfolk, England) and subsequently started leaking. The eight fishermen were able to cling to a small part of the boat. Five fishermen—Arie Bal (17 years old), Krijn Bron (27 years old), Ment Bruin (52 years old), Arie Pronk (27 years old), and Cornelis Zier Vrolijk (22 years old)—eventually had to let go and died from exhaustion.This was a big tragedy therefore the book is dedicated to the widows and 19 (!) children of the men who died.

Click here for the description on the book.