Page 113 - Bulletin 13 2009

110

THE LADAN FAMILY OF KALK BAY
AND

THE LIFE AND WORK OF EDUARD LADAN, ARTIST

Steve Herbert

Introduction

The Ladan family were prominent members of the Kalk Bay community for nearly 90
years. With the deaths of Cato (1989), Eduard (1992) and Louis (1998), all childless, the

Ladan name ceased to exist locally. For these reasons the life and artistic work of Eduard

(‘Eddie’) will be placed in the context of his family background, and this paper is a tribute
to them as much as to him.

Gerardus Louis Ladan (1869 – 1957) and Catharina Maria Hoffman (1871 - 1955)

Eddie’s father, Gerardus Louis Willem Ladan, known as Louis, was born in Amsterdam on
17 April 1869. Aged 20 he joined the Regiment Grenadiers & Jagers in The Hague. He is

recorded as being blue eyed, blonde haired and 1.62 m tall. He was a blacksmith –
something he would carry on to his future life in Kalk Bay. Louis served in the army for 3

years and was discharged in 1892.

It was probably around this time that he married Catharina Maria Hoffman. It seems his

wife came from a fairly wealthy family – certainly the Ladans were well off in the first few

years in Kalk Bay. On 30 April 1893 the couple’s first child, Catharina Maria (Cato or
‘Dinks’), was born in The Hague.