'Kabouter Duimelang'.
Ferdinand Zipper was a multifaceted artist originally from the Vienna area. He was born in Dornbach and attended the Austrian Kunstgewerbeschule until 1931. Initially, he became known for his innovative set designs. He became a resident of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1939, and during the war years he focused on advertising design. In 1944, Zipper also worked with Wim Bijmoer on the sets of the Hella Haasse play 'Sprookjes'.
The Amsterdam-based publisher Dico published his book 'Kabouter Duimelang's Reis Naar De Stad', consisting of wood carvings with accompanying texts by Zipper's wife Helen. Zipper continued to do illustration work for this publisher in the following years, but also for the series 'Rendeltje's Vertelselboek' (1944) by Jeannine de Jong-Snijder van Wissenkerke for De Opbouw in Amsterdam.
In the 1950s, Zipper made illustrations for children's books and comic stories by A.D. Hildebrand; the latter printed in the children's section of newspaper Het Parool. He left Amsterdam in 1954 and focused on a life as a fine artist. He passed away in 1985, during a visit to Austria.