Sepia Saturday 717 - Going To Work

It has been a while since I last joined the Sepians who are still uploading their weekly contribution. In fact, that last time was on the festive occasion of reaching the SS 500 milestone on December 29, 2019. Occasionally I revisited Alan's site but needed more inspiration to write an appropriate post. But the other day, I saw the March theme and thought, why not! My motivation surfaced because I remembered a couple of suitable family pictures. Here is my effort to provide you with some insight into the working life of both my grandfathers. 

Unlike Ed Mossel, the well-mustached man in the theme picture, my grandfathers were neither politicians, authors nor journalists. My mother's father was Gerardus Theodorus de Langen. He was born in The Hague on November 24, 1888. He left this earthly vale of tears 78 years later, on October 20, 1967. His father was a carpenter so it was no surprise that he had to start working when he was 13. He joined a company named Eigen Hulp (Help Yourself). Their main business was organizing the central procurement for their shops selling "everything you can think of". Although I don't know the nature of his job when he started, I do know that in 1928, the company existed for 50 years. At that time Grandpa managed their central accounting department.

Picture taken on July 7, 1928, when the company celebrated its 50-year jubilee.
Grandpa is seated in the front row (red arrow)

The fact that Grandpa is seated in the front row, tells his position in the company. Come to think of it, he did very well if you realize his education consisted of primary school only when he started in 1901! 

As I said, Grandpa was neither a politician, an author nor a journalist. But he had a mustache! Maybe it was not as impressive as the one of Mr. Mossel but still.

Grandpa De Langen approx. 1916

Switching to my other grandfather, his name was Andreas Miebies born in The Hague on April 7, 1883. He died, also in The Hague on December 22, 1957. His father was a clerk in a pharmacy but Grandpa became a civil servant for the city of The Hague. His main activities were in the social domain. At one time he was the director of a housing project for the "lower classes". He could tell exciting stories of dissatisfied tenants stabbing impressive knives into his writing desk. Later he was involved in guiding juvenile unemployed back to work. The photo below is from that period.

Andreas Miebies and his secretary (?) in June 1936

Please note the telephone on his desk. I assume that a phone in those days was for managers only. Something like a mobile in the early nineties of the 20th century.

Andreas was also very much involved in the CJMV, the Dutch equivalent of the YMCA. 

On December 8, 1933, a new CJMV chairman*
was installed. Andreas, leader of the The Hague
section, was seated beside him.

It is funny that when climbing the social ladder, both my grandfathers somehow managed to be seated in the front row. But apart from that, they went to work every day, including Saturdays! So they qualify for the theme of this month.

* Rev. G.P. van Itterzon

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