‘The MS Klipfontein’ by Karel van Seben (1893-1988).

Craftsmanship

Karel Hendrik van Seben was a Dutch painter, sculptor, draftsman, illustrator and bookbinding designer. He was born in The Hague (The Netherlands) on October 26 in 1893 and passed away in Hilversum (The Netherlands) on March 11 in 1988 after a successful career. Karel Hendrik van Seben was a student of the Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague and worked and lived in The Hague until 1919, in Amsterdam until 1933, in Hilversum untill 1934, Loosdrecht until 1939 and from 1943 in Bussum. Karel Hendrik van Seben was a member of the ‘Art lovers’ society in Utrecht and made cityscapes, still lifes and designed quite a few book bindings and covers for sheet music.

History

The MS Klipfontein was a Dutch ocean liner launched in March 1939 and intended for South African service. The ship was transferred to service between the Dutch East Indies and the west coast of North America after the declaration of the war in Europe. After entry of the United States into the war the ship was operated by Dutch agents of the U.S. War Shipping Administration (WSA) from February 1942 to February 1946 as a troopship from the U.S. West Coast to Pacific war zones. The ship sank in 1953 during a voyage from Lourenco Marques to Mozambique. All passengers were saved.