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Things I like: suffragettes, war workers, factory girls, socialites who got stuff done, ladies who ruled countries, and women who changed the world, even if it was just a little bit. Click on photos for sources.

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As Queen you were fully conscious of the responsibilities attached to your position. You were utterly dedicated to the duties of your office. But you were also a daughter, a wife, a mother and head of the family. And you have always sought to do full justice to each of those responsibilities. Sometimes you felt torn, but you combined your many duties with great inspiration. You never refused a request for help. Even in times of personal sorrow you supported us all in the most loving and dependable manner.

With the help of my father, you developed your own style as Queen. You never chose the easy path of fleeting popularity. You navigated stormy waters, charting a sure and steady course in the knowledge that you were part of a long tradition.

Now, I follow in your footsteps. And I have a clear picture of my duties. No one knows what the future may hold. But wherever my path leads, and however long it may be, I will always carry with me your warmth and your wisdom.

I know that I speak for many in the Netherlands and in the Caribbean parts of our Kingdom when I say: thank you for all the wonderful years in which you served as our Queen.

"

—

King Willem-Alexander speaking of his mother, Queen Beatrix, on the occasion of his investiture, 30 April 2013.

 

Full speech at source.

The investiture of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands April 30, 1980 Today Queen Beatrix (age 75) abdicated in favor of her son Willem-Alexander.

The investiture of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands

April 30, 1980

Today Queen Beatrix (age 75) abdicated in favor of her son Willem-Alexander.

St. Nicholas shoe shopping in Haarlem, The Netherlands, 1960.

St. Nicholas shoe shopping in Haarlem, The Netherlands, 1960.

Two women window shopping in Heerlen, The Netherlands, 1949.

Two women window shopping in Heerlen, The Netherlands, 1949.

Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782 (Happy Birthday Marty!).  The eight President of the United States, he was the first president born a US citizen.  Martin was born in a Dutch speaking area of New York State and he is the only US President to speak English as his second language.  The National Park Service maintains Martin’s Kinderhook, NY home.  You can tour the site virtually or visit in person from May to October.

humansofnewyork: These two women came from the Netherlands to run in the marathon today. Instead of moping about the event being cancelled, they spent their time volunteering on Staten Island. Saw so many people in running gear today, helping New Yorkers remove debris from their houses. Makes sense— because nobody who signed up for a marathon is afraid of hard work.

humansofnewyork:

These two women came from the Netherlands to run in the marathon today. Instead of moping about the event being cancelled, they spent their time volunteering on Staten Island. Saw so many people in running gear today, helping New Yorkers remove debris from their houses. Makes sense— because nobody who signed up for a marathon is afraid of hard work.

todaysdocument: Princess Party, 1940s-style Picnic for Princess Juliana of the Netherlands at Val-kill, Hyde Park, New York, October 9, 1943. L-R: Secret Service, Secret Service, Princess Irene, Princess Beatrix, Princess Juliana, Mrs. J.R. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt in background with unidentified man, FDR, children’s nurse, Grace Tully, Ethel Roosevelt (Mrs. FDR, Jr.). Photo by Margaret Suckley. Princess Juliana lived in Ontario and Massachusetts during World War II and developed a close friendship with the Roosevelts.

todaysdocument:

Princess Party, 1940s-style

Picnic for Princess Juliana of the Netherlands at Val-kill, Hyde Park, New York, October 9, 1943.

L-R: Secret Service, Secret Service, Princess Irene, Princess Beatrix, Princess Juliana, Mrs. J.R. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt in background with unidentified man, FDR, children’s nurse, Grace Tully, Ethel Roosevelt (Mrs. FDR, Jr.). Photo by Margaret Suckley.

Princess Juliana lived in Ontario and Massachusetts during World War II and developed a close friendship with the Roosevelts.

A Dutch painting of a young girl survives three and a half centuries through loss, flood, anonymity, theft, secrecy, even the Holocaust. This is the story of its owners whose lives are influenced by its beauty and mystery. Despite their unsatisfied longings, their own and others’ flaws, the girl in hyacinth blue has the power to engender love in all its human variety. Looking through the cheap Kindle books I stumbled on this one which I read several years ago and think is worth checking out.  A series of short stories trace the fictional history of an imaginary painting by Vermeer from 1990s New Hampshire to the artist himself.  Published the same year as Girl with a Pearl Earring, Girl in Hyacinth Blue is about how a painting fits into the lives of its owners rather than the life of the subject of a painting.  I’d recommended it to those interested in art history who enjoy short stories. I wasn’t sure what “Books into Film” on the Amazon page referred to, but apparently Girl in Hyacinth Blue was adapted into a TV movie called Brush with Fate starring Glenn Close in 2003. Girl in Hyacinth Blue on Amazon

A Dutch painting of a young girl survives three and a half centuries through loss, flood, anonymity, theft, secrecy, even the Holocaust. This is the story of its owners whose lives are influenced by its beauty and mystery. Despite their unsatisfied longings, their own and others’ flaws, the girl in hyacinth blue has the power to engender love in all its human variety.

Looking through the cheap Kindle books I stumbled on this one which I read several years ago and think is worth checking out.  A series of short stories trace the fictional history of an imaginary painting by Vermeer from 1990s New Hampshire to the artist himself.  Published the same year as Girl with a Pearl Earring, Girl in Hyacinth Blue is about how a painting fits into the lives of its owners rather than the life of the subject of a painting.  I’d recommended it to those interested in art history who enjoy short stories.

I wasn’t sure what “Books into Film” on the Amazon page referred to, but apparently Girl in Hyacinth Blue was adapted into a TV movie called Brush with Fate starring Glenn Close in 2003.

Girl in Hyacinth Blue on Amazon

From left: Australia’s Shirley Strickland (Bronze), Great Britain’s Maureen Gardner (Silver), and the Netherland’s Fanny Blankers-Koen (Gold). London Olympics, 1948

From left: Australia’s Shirley Strickland (Bronze), Great Britain’s Maureen Gardner (Silver), and the Netherland’s Fanny Blankers-Koen (Gold).

London Olympics, 1948

itsjohnsen: A five-year-old Anne Frank stands on the steps of her father’s office. Amsterdam, 1934. Otto Frank

itsjohnsen:

A five-year-old Anne Frank stands on the steps of her father’s office. Amsterdam, 1934.
Otto Frank

Trailer for The Hiding Place (1975) based on the life of Corrie ten Boom.

Raden Ayu Kartini (1879-1904) Per Javanese noble tradition, Kartini was secluded at home from the age of 12 until her marriage at age 24.  Removed from school, Kartini read widely with a particular focus on the emancipation of women.  She wrote and was published in De Hollandsche Lelie (The Dutch Lily), a Dutch magazine for young women. At age 24, she unwillingly became the third wife of the polygamous Regent Chief of Rembang.  He supported her interest in women’s education and helped her to create a female academy in the district.  Less than a year after her marriage, Kartini died after giving birth to her son Soesalit. After her death, the Minister for Culture, Religion and Industry in the East Indies collected the letters Kartini had written to her Dutch penpals.  In 1911, they were published in a book entitled Door Duisternis tot Licht (Out of Dark Comes Light).  Eventually translated into Malay and Javanese, these letters improved the Dutch understanding of the native Javanese and contributed to social change in Indonesia.  Inspired by these letters, the Van Deventer family created the R.A. Kartini Foundation to established schools for women in Java. Since 1964, April 21 has been Karini Day, a national holiday in Indonesia.

Raden Ayu Kartini (1879-1904)

Per Javanese noble tradition, Kartini was secluded at home from the age of 12 until her marriage at age 24.  Removed from school, Kartini read widely with a particular focus on the emancipation of women.  She wrote and was published in De Hollandsche Lelie (The Dutch Lily), a Dutch magazine for young women.

At age 24, she unwillingly became the third wife of the polygamous Regent Chief of Rembang.  He supported her interest in women’s education and helped her to create a female academy in the district.  Less than a year after her marriage, Kartini died after giving birth to her son Soesalit.

After her death, the Minister for Culture, Religion and Industry in the East Indies collected the letters Kartini had written to her Dutch penpals.  In 1911, they were published in a book entitled Door Duisternis tot Licht (Out of Dark Comes Light).  Eventually translated into Malay and Javanese, these letters improved the Dutch understanding of the native Javanese and contributed to social change in Indonesia.  Inspired by these letters, the Van Deventer family created the R.A. Kartini Foundation to established schools for women in Java.

Since 1964, April 21 has been Karini Day, a national holiday in Indonesia.

Wilhelmina Drucker, Dutch women’s rights pioneer, sitting for a portrait with Truus Claes in 1917 on the occasion of her seventieth birthday. Dutch women’s rights group Dolla Mina derived its name from Wilhelmina’s nickname.  

Wilhelmina Drucker, Dutch women’s rights pioneer, sitting for a portrait with Truus Claes in 1917 on the occasion of her seventieth birthday.

Dutch women’s rights group Dolla Mina derived its name from Wilhelmina’s nickname.  

Queen Juliana and Princess Beatrix serving hot chocolate at Soestdijk Palace Christmas reception, 1960

Queen Juliana and Princess Beatrix serving hot chocolate at Soestdijk Palace Christmas reception, 1960

Japanese puppet show in the Netherlands, 1967.

Japanese puppet show in the Netherlands, 1967.