The exhibition shows over 300 photographic images, illustrating the revival of Amsterdam and the origins of modern photography. Thanks to technological innovations around 1900, amateur photography got a huge boost and photography became a modern pastime for Amsterdammers of all kinds. In this exhibition, photos of famous artists like Jacob Olie, Bernard Eilers and Hendrik Breitner are combined with each other and with work of contemporaries – amateurs and professionals – for the first time. Vintage prints and albums show the great variation in technique, style and format of photography from that time.
The exhibition focuses on a turning point in the history of photography and shows the interaction between city and photographers. We applied a large variety of scenographic perspectives within a modest, highly informative setting. The objects (all original prints) are small and need quite some individual attention, therefore we chose for different angles of display to keep the visitors eye fresh and provide an attractive study gallery. To provide a good balance between the elaborate textual information and the photographs themselves our typography is clear, crisp and almost archive-like.
In cooperation with Jos Stoopman (graphics)
Photography by Mike Bink
