Hotz s'Jacob & Co.: 1900 trade mark registration - Nine Chinese Lady Musicians sitting under a tree

Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) had started his career in Rotterdam, at Holland-China Trading Company (HCHC). In 1938, he went to Shanghai for the firm. The Japanese interned him, and most other Dutch nationals, from 1943-45. In camp, he met his wife Nancy and they married after the war. After a leave in The Netherlands, they returned to the Orient, where Charles continued to work for HCHC in Hong Kong.

Royal Dutch Library has a great site for retrieving printed matter, especially newspapers. Several registrations of trade marks were found in Nederlandse staatscourant (Dutch State Gazette), accompanied by a drawing of the trade mark (Delpher.nl).

Hotz s'Jacob was one of the organisations which preceded Holland-China Trading Company, which was founded in 1903. One of the main products it traded was cotton clothing, produced in the East of the Netherlands, Twente.

The caption reads:
"14445
Naam van den inzender:
De firma Hotz s'Jacob & Co., te Rotterdam.
Soort der waren:
Katoenen manufacturen.
Dagteekening waaronder de inschrijving heeft plaats gehad:
23 januari 1900.
Het merk stelt voor een Chineesche muziekpartij. Rechts onder een boom zit eene vrouw achter een tafel, waarop een blad met muzieknoten ligt; achter haar staan twee meisjes; vóór haar zit er een met een waaier in de hand. Links bespeelt eene Chineesche vrouw een instrument door een viertal andere omringd, waarvan er twee zitten en twee staan. Op den voorgrond ziet met bloemen, op den achtergrond links bergen. Het geheel wordt omgeven door een paars- en goudgekleurden rand. In de bovenzijde van den rand zijn drie cirkelvlakken, in ieder waarvan vier Chineeschen karakters voorkomen."

Courtesy Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Dutch Library), Nederlandsche staatscourant, 1 February 1900

This trade mark was also registered in Hong Kong. The 19 January 1901 Hongkong Government Gazette reads:
"The trade marks ordinance, 1898
Application for Registration of Trade Marks.
Notice is hereby given that Messrs. Hotz S'Jacob and Company have, on the 26th day of September 1900, applied for the registration in Hongkong, in the Register of Trade Marks the following Trade Marks:
...
10. Nine Chinese Lady Musicians sitting under a tree. There is a table at the foot of the tree. A woman is sitting by the table with two women standing behind her. A woman is sitting on a stool holding a fan. Five of the women are on the left side of the tree. One of them has a musical instrument on her lap while two sit opposite her and two are behind her.
...
in the name of Hotz S'Jacob and Company, who claim the be the sole proprietors thereof. The Trade Marks are intended to be used by the applicants in the respect of the Cotton Piece Goods of all kinds in Class 24.
Facsimiles of the Trade Marks can be seen at the Office of the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong and also at the Office of the undersigned.
Dated the 12th day of November, 1900.
Wilkinson & Grist,
Solicitors for the Applicants,
70, Queens Road, Hongkong."

Courtesy Hong Kong University Library, <a href="https://lib.hku.hk/database/" rel="noreferrer nofollow">lib.hku.hk/database/</a>

Source: This image came from Flickr, see https://flickr.com/photo.gne?id=49924571958