Fiep Westendorp's Work

Fiep Westendorp has got a very impressive work-history.
She started out in 1937, when she got her first commission, the illustration of the Zaltbommel tourist information guide. She did drawings of the many historic buildings in Zaltbommel.

In 1939, she was commissioned by the Lekkerkerk town council to make a wall painting for the newly decorated Council Chamber in the Town Hall and in 1941 she illustrated the poem Clara Eggink wrote: The Woman and the Cormorant.

During the war, when Fiep and her family were forced to move to Opijnen, Fiep worked at the Town Hall, forging documents and passports and she also drew ground plans of the banks of the Waal.

After the war she got commissions from Vrij Nederland magazine and Het Parool newspaper. Soon she also had many commissions from the previously illegal publishing house De Bezige Bij and illustrated novels like Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Andersen. In 1945 she illustrated the children's book "Snow" by Henriette van Eyk, in 1946 her first illustration appeared in newspaper Het Parool and she illustrated "The Lost Sheep" by Han G. Hoekstra, a book of poems for children, in 1947. In 1948 she made illustrations for the magazine Mandril, that was based on the American satirical magazine The New Yorker. She became mainly known, at that time, as a cartoonist.

A weekly women's page featured in Het Parool in 1948, for which Fiep did the illustrations and when in 1949 a children's corner was added to it, Jip and Janneke (Bob and Jilly) made their entrance, accompanied by writings by Annie M.G. Schmidt.

Her star was rising and Fiep did many illustrations for books, newspapers and magazines and made drawings for various advertising campaigns.

Fiep Westendorp and Annie M.G. Schmidt worked together until Annie's death in 1995. Their first children's book appeared in 1958, but Fiep also worked for many decades with writer Mies Bouhuys, who took Annie's place in 1957, writing for the children's column in the news paper.

From 1968 onwards, every fortnight a story by Annie appeared about a little boy called Pluk and a book was published by Querido. In 1976 the children’s magazine Bobo asked Fiep if she would be interested in making colour illustrations of Jip and Janneke, which she had been drawing in black and white until then.

Many books appeared by Fiep and Mies Bouhuys, like Otje and Pim and Pom. In the meantime Fiep and Annie M.G. Schimdt's collaboration went on and they too published several books.

Their last project together was in 1990 when the Association for the Promotion of Dutch Books asked Annie and Fiep to make the gift book for the Children’s Book Week.

After Annie’s death in 1995, Fiep made the illustrations for the cover of the collection of fairy tales by Annie M.G. Schmidt. These would also be Fiep's last illustrations before her death in 2004.

Jip and Janneke (Bob and Jilly) celebrated their 50th anniverary on 19 mei 2003, which was announced also as Annie M.G. Schmidt-day.

For decades now, Fiep Westendorp has left her unique imprint on Dutch children’s books.