Hilda van Stockum

Part of the Irish Archives

Hilda Gerarda van Stockum (1908 - 2006) was a Dutch-born painter, writer, and illustrator. She was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and grew up between there and Ireland. Stockum’s mother was half Irish and in her teenage years, she came to Ireland to study art at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, now the National College of Art and Design.

Artistic Influence

Whilst studying in Dublin, Hilda was taught by the artists Sean Keating and Patrick Tuohy. She formed a good relationship with Tuohy and his influence can be recognised in her earlier work. During these early years of her career, she often visited the National Gallery of Ireland and greatly admired the work of the Irish artist Walter Osborne.

After Dublin, Hilda returned to the Netherlands to study at the Rijk’s Academy of Fine Art in Amsterdam. It was there that she began to explore her Dutch heritage and became inspired by the art of the old Dutch masters. Like in Dublin, she would visit the Rijksmuseum on her lunch break from the academy to experience the work of artists such as Vermeer, Brueghel, and especially Rembrandt.

But Hilda was fascinated by the effects of light and so the Dutch impressionists; Mauve, Witse, and the Maris brothers, and post-impressionist painters such as Van Gogh and Cezanne really appealed to her as they encompassed her sensitivity to illumination and a traditional approach to painting which she favored.

Later Life

Hilda returned to Dublin after her time studying in Amsterdam and met her husband, Ervin Ross “Spike” Marlin. Marlin was an American student at Trinity College and the roommate of Hilda’s brother. After they married, they spent some time in Dublin during which Hilda taught art to pupils of Pearse street national school. The couple later moved to Washington D.C. where Marlin joined the secret service and was posted in Ireland and London during World War 2. They also began their family of six kids during this time and traveled the world due to Marlin’s assignments, but Van Stockum remained artistically active and began to write and illustrate children’s books which achieved international acclaim.

‘The Winged Watchman’ is her most famous work. It tells the story of how traditional windmills were used by the Dutch resistance for sending messages without the awareness of German occupiers during World War 2. The text was inspired by letters that Van Stockum received from family in the Netherlands and has been commended for its accuracy in depicting a sense of life under Nazi occupation.

Following her retirement to the UK, she renewed her ties with Ireland and was honored by a retrospective exhibition at the RHA in 1990. She died in Hertfordshire in 2006.

The Object

Van Stockum’s life and career were dispersed across many different places and each holds the memory of her time spent there. In the Centre for the Study of Irish Art collection, we hold a monochrome photograph belonging to Van Stockum. It depicts eight family members; three men and five women, of various ages, dressed in smart attire. Van Stockum appears third from the left and is surrounded by a group of smiling family members and appears to be elated. This photograph records a joyous moment in time and reminds us of Van Stockum's relationship with Ireland and the National Gallery.