European school (XIX) - Winterlandschap met figuren

Dutch School (19th century) - Winter landscape with figures

Artist: environment of the well-known artist Mari ten Kate (1831-1910).
Dimensions with list: 24.5 x 30.5 cm. This work is fitted with a 'new' wooden frame. The back of the work is original. The original frame was heavily damaged and therefore not suitable for hanging. It concerns a wooden frame with a gilded edge, 3 cm wide, 3 cm high.
Dimensions without frame: 18 x 14 cm
Technique: Watercolor
Signature: Unsigned
Country of origin: Netherlands
Period: Dutch School 19th century

Origin
This beautiful winter scene with figures probably originates from the vicinity of the well-known artist Mari ten Kate (1831-1910).
It depicts a cozy winter scene created with watercolor paint. In the foreground, we see a woman and two children in a snow-covered forest. The woman, dressed in a long skirt and a white hat, appears to be watching the children with care: one child stands beside her, while the other is lying on a sled, wrapped in cloths.
The scene takes place on a snowy path among bare trees, whose branches are heavily laden with snow. The artist worked with soft, transparent shades—mainly brown, gray, and white—creating a convincing depiction of the cool atmosphere of a quiet winter day.

Further investigation into the origin based on the list maker F.H. Smit from Haarlem.
What exactly is on the label?
F.H. SMIT
Royal Warrant Holder
Mirror maker, gilder, picture dealer, and encadreur.
Address: Grote Houtstraat 69, Haarlem
Telephoon No. 404
Additionally, there is a royal coat of arms, indicating a Court Supplier status.
The style of the design is clearly Art Deco / late Art Nouveau, typical of the years 1910–1935.

Internet sources: F. H. Smit (Frederik Hendrik Smit / F.H. Smit Jr. etc.) was mentioned in the sources as an art dealer / picture framer / gilder at Grote Houtstraat 69 in Haarlem. He was active around the beginning and middle of the 20th century (his lifespan and business activity roughly fall within the period from the late 19th to the first half of the 20th century).

There are described labels and advertising vignettes from (art) dealing and framing shop F.H. Smit. Sources show or describe exactly such small paper labels that were glued onto books, backs, or frames. This strongly supports that a sticker with 'F.H. Smit, Grote Houtstraat 69' on an artwork indeed originates from that framing shop/office.

The phone number '404' on such a label indicates a (short) local phone number, similar to those found in early 20th-century directories. The presence of a name and address confirms this as the most logical explanation.
The RKD (artists / art dealers index) also mentions a F.H. Smit located at Grote Houtstraat 69. This is a reliable indication that this is indeed the art dealer/framer in question.

Dating of the label
All elements strongly suggest the 1920s–1930s.
Use of the word 'Telephoon'. The spelling 'Telephoon' with 'ph' was used before around 1934. From the 1930s onwards, it was almost everywhere written as 'Telefoon'. The short phone number: 404 indicates the following: Three-digit numbers were typical for Dutch cities before the advent of automatic exchanges. Haarlem only switched to modern numbering in 1930, and the three-digit numbers quickly disappeared afterward.

Graphic style label: The line work, ornamentation, and typography match Art Deco from 1920–1935. This design appears almost 1920s.
Royal Warrant stamp. Many framers/art galleries that were Royal Warrant holders used this exactly on labels in the years 1910–1930.

Conclusion: The label is almost certainly from around 1920–1935, probably circa 1925–1930.

F.H. Smit was a well-known mirror maker, gilder (golden frames), picture and painting dealer, and framer in Haarlem. Address: Grote Houtstraat 69, a prominent shopping street in Haarlem. This building was frequently used by craft businesses, including art dealers. He held the title of Royal Warrant Holder, which means he had an official distinction. In those days, this indicated that the work of this company was of exceptional quality, reliable, and had a good reputation. It did not necessarily mean that direct deliveries were made to the Royal Family.

Conclusion: What does this mean for this artwork?
The artwork was almost certainly framed in Haarlem between 1920 and 1930.
Framers attached these labels to both new and existing artworks.
It says nothing about the maker of the art itself, but rather about the period of framing.
This greatly helps in estimating the age of the work itself, especially if it was reframed not long after. So, the dating of the aquarel is at least before 1920 and 1930.


Who was Meri ten Kate?
Johan Mari Henri ten Kate (The Hague, March 4, 1831 – Driebergen, March 26, 1910) was a Dutch artist and graphic artist. He worked in the style of Romanticism.

Life and work
Mari Ten Kate was a brother and student of Herman ten Kate. He also studied at the Royal Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague and at the Royal Academy in Amsterdam. He worked in Oosterbeek, Elst, and Marken, and took study trips to Paris, Italy, England, and in 1883-1884 to Java, where he created many graphic works.

Ten Kate painted in the style of Romanticism and worked in both oil and watercolor. He primarily created genre scenes and figure works with children, whom he strongly idealized, portraying them as virtuous and in a natural simplicity that was markedly different from the reality of the time. He also painted landscapes, beach scenes, and hunting scenes. Many of his works have a strong narrative character.

Ten Kate became a member of the Royal Academy of Visual Arts in Amsterdam in 1852. He was friends with King William III and was appointed officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau and commander in the Order of the Oak Crown. During his later career, he created various works commissioned by the Royal House.

Ten Kate was the father and teacher of Johannes Marius ten Kate and a brother of the minister-poet Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate. He died in 1910 at the age of 79. Works of his are located among the collections of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, Museum Paul Tetar van Elven in Delft, the Zuiderzeemuseum in Enkhuizen, and the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo. Several hunting scene paintings by him are also part of the royal collection.