Biography

Discussion

Charles Breijer’s father was an amateur photographer. He taught his son the basic principles of photographic technique in the darkroom. Besides his lessons in composition, he introduced Charles Jr. to the New Photography movement emerging at the time. It was thanks to Charles Breijer Sr. that Paul Schuitema and Piet Zwart presented lectures for the AAFV (Amsterdamse Amateur Fotografen Vereniging, ‘Amsterdam Amateur Photographers Association’), which the young Charles also attended. Like his father, he became a member of the AAFV and participated in competitions with success. As a member of the AJC (Arbeiders Jeugd Centrale, ‘Workers Youth League’), Breijer was familiar with the New Photography through magazines such as the Arbeiter Illustrierte (‘Workers Pictorial Newspaper’).

Experimenting with design elements of the New Photography, he was able to achieve pleasing results. Breijer chose unusual camera angles and made photomontages and photos with diagonal compositions that emphasised the structure. He combined this new movement with the shooting of traditional pictorial landscape photos with no difficulty. The fine printing processes (‘edeldrukprocedés’) that were frequently applied in amateur circles, however, held no appeal for Breijer.

Around 1930, Russian films were gaining interest. Breijer attempted to adopt motifs taken from these films for his own photos. His introduction to the work of Joris Ivens also made a deep impression. At the Lichtbeeldeninstituut (‘Lantern Plate Institute’) in Amsterdam, where Breijer worked in the darkroom as a student photographer, he received instruction from the head photographer, Van de Hoek Ostende, and ‘first’ photographer, Herman Veldman. Following this, he perfected his technical knowledge as a lab technician and camera assistant working respectively for the company Visie (‘Vision’), and the Ontwikkelcentrale Post (‘Post Developing Center’) in Diemen. He began his career as a professional photographer at the social-democratic publishing company De Arbeiderspers.

Breijer was initially hired as a photo lab technician. As an amateur photographer, a number of his photos had already been published by this time in magazines such as Focus and Filmliga (‘Film League’). It was the head of the photo department, Van der Vlis, who gave Breijer his first chance as a photographer at De Arbeiderspers. He was allowed to shoot photos and do reportages for various publications, including the daily newspaper Het Volk (‘The People’) and the weekly Wij. Ons werk ons leven (‘We. Our Work, Our Life’), a magazine with a modern design and substantial space devoted to photography and photomontages as determined by its photo and layout editor, Nico de Haas. It was at De Arbeiderspers that Breijer became friends with Cas Oorthuys, from whom he learned a great deal. For Breijer, Oorthuys was ‘a tremendous role model as well as a true friend’. They discussed work often, with Oorthuys encouraging Breijer to experiment. There was plenty of opportunity for this at De Arbeiderspers. In mutual consultation, the editors, journalists, and photographers decided on subjects for the reportages: it was an atmosphere of creative freedom that greatly appealed to Breijer, eventually leading to his photo reportage on how working-class children in the city spent their holidays.

Besides newspapers and magazine weeklies, Breijer also made series of photographs for various photobooks. In 1939, he collaborated on a book concerning the topic of career opportunities, Om het dagelijks brood (‘For the Daily Bread’), which as well featured photos by Cas Oorthuys, F.J. Griek, and others. For the Amsterdam publishing company Contact, Breijer worked on the books, Polder en waterland (‘Polder and Waterland’) and Landschap (‘Landscape’), which both appeared in 1941 as part of De Schoonheid van ons Land (‘The Beauty of our Land’), a series of books presenting a picturesque view of Dutch towns and cities.

With the advent of the German occupation in May 1940, the press was placed under censorship. Several weeks after the Dutch capitulation, a Nazi director was installed at De Arbeiderspers above the board of directors, in addition to a ‘Nazi-Hauptschriftsteller’ (Nazi ‘head writer’), above the company’s senior editorial staff. When at one point the Jewish employees were fired, a group of the editors quit their jobs. Those who remained behind tried to continue their work without abetting the Germans. In Breijer’s words: ‘For the photographers and agencies, it clearly made no sense to provide photos that would be objectionable to the Germans. From the outset, everyone participated in self-censorship’. Breijer and his colleagues made photos of ‘neutral’ daily events that could be published without creating a conflict, e.g. sports events, civic news, art and entertainment. Van der Vlis took on commercial work in order to stave off more controversial topics. That said, the German and NSB (Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, ‘National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands) photographers demanded their right to contribute German propagandistic material. In 1942, it became increasingly difficult for Dutch photojournalists to carry on with their work: all were required to register with the so-called ‘Persgilde’ (‘Press Guild’), a department of the ‘Kultuurkamer’ (‘Chamber of Culture’). Breijer registered in order to continue with his work, but also to have a cover for his underground activities.

One of the measures introduced by the Germans was the requirement to provide a name when publicizing photos, which sometimes created painful situations. Following the German invasion, Nico de Haas—a member of the NSB—returned to De Arbeiderspers as a photo and layout editor for the magazine, Hamer (‘Hammer’), published by the Volksche Werkgemeenschap (‘People’s Cooperative’). With free access to the photo archive of De Arbeiderspers, De Haas used many of Breijer’s and Oorthuys’ photos, e.g. for an article on ‘Race and Labour’ in the 1941 midwinter edition of Hamer. It was distressing and sobering to discover that the imagery of the New Photography was so readily suitable for use as National-Socialist propaganda, when in fact it was produced from a view that was politically the opposite.

Even in the earliest years of the German occupation, Charles Breijer was out on the street photographing everyday life, with a motivation that was journalistic in nature. He produced photos of NSB soldiers on guard duty and the demolished windows of Jewish storefronts. Breijer was one of the very few to photograph the sealing off of the Jewish neighbourhood in Amsterdam. Such activities carried out against the Jews were what provoked the Februaristaking (‘February Strike’) in 1941. Breijer and Oorthuys both participated in the strike. Fairly certain that they would be forced to quit their jobs as a consequence, they took no cameras with them, as these were the property of De Arbeiderspers. Breijer would later come to realize that he had missed out on an important opportunity by not having recorded this event. What he did photograph were the anti-Jewish riots that preceded the Februaristaking, the Artsenverzet (‘Doctors’ Resistance’) and the protests on Anjerdag (‘Carnation Day’). Breijer also made passport photos of Jews in hiding for those who were in need of false identity papers.

In the final year of the war, a degree of coordination emerged in the illegal activities carried out by photographers. From within the ‘Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten’ (‘Domestic Armed Forces’), Fritz Kahlenberg, together with Tony van Renterghem, formed an organisation to pass information on to the Allies and to document the approaching liberation. An important part of this work was to photograph German strategic points in Amsterdam, e.g. weapon transports, attacks, raids (‘razzias’), assistance to Jews in hiding, and the repercussions of the food and fuel shortages. For the more dangerous missions, the photographer was given the protection of an armed member of the Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten. Various employees of De Arbeiderspers worked for this ‘Nederland Archief’ (‘Netherlands Archive’). For security reasons, the photographers knew nothing of each other’s assignments, even when close friendships were involved. At the end of 1944, Charles Breijer came into contact with Fritz Kahlenberg via an acquaintance of the ‘Ordedienst’ (‘Department of Public Order’), hereby becoming part of this group of photographers, referred to after the war as ‘De Ondergedoken Camera’ (‘The Illegal Camera’). To develop his film, Breijer used the darkroom at De Arbeiderspers. During the occupation, Breijer made no less than 260 images, some of which were taken from a camera hidden in the saddlebags of his bike. His work had the feel of journalistic photography, i.e. reporting on events and situations. Breijer focussed more on the resistance movement’s organisation rather than human emotions. As such, relatively few of his photos depict starvation (‘hunger photos’). When he did produce photos of this kind, they were usually far less confrontational than those shot by Cas Oorthuys and Emmy Andriesse. It was in Breijer’s nature to maintain a respectable distance.

At the time Breijer decided to leave for Indonesia in 1947, he was drawn by a longing for adventure. His trip was also marked by a certain streak of idealism, expressed by his desire to help with the building of an independent Indonesian state. At the time, it was no concern of his whether he went as a photographer or a film student: the pay was decent. He had acquired a short-term contract for three years with the government film company, Multifilm Batavia. This film service was established by the Dutch East Indian government’s ‘Voorlichtingsdienst’ (‘Department of Information’) shortly after the war. Its chief activity was to produce the weekly film newsreel, entitled Wordende Wereld (‘World Becoming’), intended for the Indonesian people. Focusing on everyday life and reconstruction in the colony, this newsreel was representative of the views held by Dutch people living in Indonesia. During the first ‘police action’ of 1947, the presence of the Dutch in the East Indies was portrayed as a guarantee for the return of the public order, peace, and prosperity. Cameramen were sent out with the troops, but the resulting film material was censored and sometimes modified in the editing room, making it ‘more suitable’ for public viewing. Breijer was also forced to re-edit film. He was initially called in to edit film negatives. After two months, he travelled to Surabaya for camerawork and newsgathering, in consultation with the Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst (‘Netherlands Government Information Service’). As a public civil servant, Breijer worked on assignment and did not have the ability to move freely while making reportages in those areas where a political, military, or social journalistic investigation was implied. He made several, partially re-enacted, documentaries under the title Soldaat overzee (‘Soldier Overseas’), which were also included in film newsreels shown in the Netherlands.

Looking back at the film work produced for Multifilm Batavia, Breijer has seriously questioned the ‘objectivity’ of his Indonesian films. Considering the poor access to information and the ambiguous political situation, it turns out that these films are anything but impartial. The Dutch government, on one hand, sought reconciliation with the Indonesian leaders, who were initially accused of collaborating with the enemy, and on the other hand, they went ahead and carried out police actions. More important than anything was the desire to restore authority. Breijer was there as a filmmaker, when, in 1949, fifteen prominent journalists visited the imprisoned Sukarno, Hatta, and the twenty or so other Republican leaders who were being held. A summary of this visit, filmed by Breijer, was shown around the world.

On the occasion of the transfer of sovereignty, Breijer was sent to Jakarta, because he knew it well. Following this, he was a witness to Sukarno’s entry into Surabaya and accompanied him on his trip to East Java. The presidential staff grew to know Breijer, and consequently, he gained their confidence. He was asked to accompany Sukarno during his state visits to India, Pakistan, and Burma. On the return journey, Sukarno, asked Breijer to stay in Indonesia. The newly formed Indonesian government offered him a new contract, following the cessation of the old one with the Dutch East Indian government in February 1950. After a brief absence of several months spent in the Netherlands, Breijer returned to Indonesia in August 1950, this time employed by the Ministry of Information Services for the Republic of Indonesia. His most important activities were training young Indonesians in the film profession and making feature films and documentaries. Especially in the period 1947-1949, Breijer shot many photographs. In his possession were two Rolleiflex cameras, an ample supply of film, developing boxes, and chemicals, which he had all brought with him from the Netherlands. His wife eventually followed, bringing with her part of the darkroom equipment. Particularly in the beginning, Breijer experienced numerous complications due to the fluctuating water supply and his film, which dried poorly in a humid climate. During his six years in Indonesia, he took approximately two thousand photos, sometimes commissioned by illustrated magazines in the Netherlands, but also for a number of magazines in Indonesia.

From 1954 until his retirement in 1979, Breijer shot very few photographs. Due to his position at Multifilm Haarlem, filmmaking absorbed all of his time during this period. He was involved in camera and production work, as well as film direction. Breijer made films that were entirely in line with his photographic work, with the documentary or informational aspects receiving the greatest emphasis. He worked on only a few feature films.

With the exception of his work during his early years as an amateur photographer, Breijer’s photographic archive is primarily documentary in nature. The early work includes still lifes, landscapes, cityscapes, and portraits in a traditional style. In the style of New Photography, Breijer made photomontages, architectural photos, sports photos, street scenes, and industrial photos (industrial landscapes and detail shots of industrial products). For De Arbeiderspers, he worked more in a reportage format, with images featuring the everyday life of the working class as one topic among many, in addition to landscapes, sports photos, and portrait photography. The photos that Breijer made during the war are generally journalistic in character, capturing images of the protests against the Jews, raids (razzias), as well as illegal and resistance activities on film.

Regarding the photo work made during his years in Indonesia, Breijer himself distinguishes between two periods: before and after the transfer of sovereignty. In the first period, Breijer not only photographed for his own pleasure and without any clear purpose, but he also took photos for Dutch illustrated magazines, such as Panorama and Libelle. In the second period, Breijer photographed in order to assemble a visual documentation, which he believed would some day prove to be a topic of interest in the Netherlands. He photographed all kinds of subjects: street scenes, landscapes, portraits, architecture, as well as the everyday life of the Indonesian people and the Dutch soldiers stationed there. In reality, however, the interest in these photos was limited: the Dutch weekly Elsevier was the only magazine to actually ever use a couple of these photos.

Although Breijer’s oeuvre includes beautiful photographs, information rather than aesthetics is central to his work. In the formal design of his photos, the influence of New Photography is highly evident. One finds in his work elements that were visually essential to the New Photography, e.g. diagonal lines in the composition or an unexpected angle of view. The low vantage point in his photos was in part due to the use of a Rolleiflex camera, which he held at waist level.

Breijer’s major influence was Cas Oorthuys, with the two men’s work often being parallel. Both worked for De Arbeiderspers, were part of ‘De Ondergedoken Camera’, and were active as photographers during the same period in Indonesia. Their relationship, which they also kept up in Indonesia, was more than just a personal friendship: they shared the same ideas about photography. Both underscored the importance of the informative nature of photography and saw activist photography as an ideal. Oorthuys even tried to be ‘consciously unethical’ and saw the ‘beautifying’ of photos as the photographer’s biggest enemy. Breijer viewed photography as an informative medium that was supposed to communicate and educate. Its artistic function was secondary: beauty was a bonus, but never a goal in itself. Contrary to Oorthuys, Breijer did not reject aesthetics. Comparing Breijer’s photo work in Indonesia with that of Oorthuys, then there are also numerous thematic parallels: Dutch soldiers, Indonesian beggars, poverty, the markets, as well as general everyday life. Both provided a photographic account of a country being built and displayed the various aspects of its development, with humanity always serving as the main focus. Yet as a freelance photographer, Oorthuys enjoyed a greater freedom of movement than Breijer and expressed more of a viewpoint in his photos. This is apparent in his book Staat in Wording (‘Becoming a State’), published in 1947. Oorthuys placed a greater emphasis on the conflicting interests of the Indonesian freedom fighters and the Dutch. He expressed this primarily through the book’s powerful layout.

In the early years of Breijer’s career as a photographer, between 1930 and 1937, he used a 9×12 cm folding camera with a Prontor shutter. He had received this camera from his father, who had won it in a photo competition. By adding a viewfinder, Breijer was able to use it as a hand-held camera. With his first pay-cheque earnings at De Arbeiderspers, he purchased an Ikoflex 6×6 cm roll film camera. During the war, he had access to a Rolleiflex camera. This camera required quite a bit of adjusting and was in fact rather unsuitable for taking pictures at a time when it was illegal to do so. Sometimes it was impossible to adjust the camera settings or lighting precisely. Breijer worked with the Rolleiflex camera until 1960, thereafter switching to Pentax and Canon 35mm cameras.

Charles Breijer’s photographic oeuvre serves as an important part of Dutch national heritage, due to the historical and social meaning of the subject matter he photographed. Although perhaps of less importance to the photographer himself, the level of design and technique as well gives his work an aesthetic quality. To this day, the photos Breijer shot during the war serve as a widely utilised visual archive. The same cannot be said of his Indonesian photography. For some time, these photos remained unused and were therefore a relatively unknown part of his oeuvre. The growing interest in this period of history, however, likewise signals an emerging interest in Breijer’s photos shot in Asia.

Documentation