Ed van der Elsken
Evelyn de Regt
Abstract
Ed van der Elsken—the ‘enfant terrible’ of Dutch photography—was a talented photographer and filmmaker who, for more than forty years, portrayed his encounters with people in the form of photographs, photobooks, and films. Roaming about major cities such as Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam, or traveling around Africa and Japan, he liked to photograph people who were distinct and rich in character. In 1956, Van der Elsken made his debut with the photobook Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés (‘Love on the Left Bank’), which made him famous overnight. More than twenty photobooks followed. Van der Elsken also made a number of television films, often on topics drawn from his own personal life.
Biography
1925 |
Eduard (Ed) van der Elsken is born on 10 March at Vogelstraat 6-E in Amsterdam North. After one year, the family moves to another neighbourhood in the city, the Watergraafsmeer (Betondorp). His father, Eduard van der Elsken Sr., runs a business in modern furniture. His mother, Huberta Johanna Gijsberdina Pardoel, is the daughter of an inland barge captain from Brabant. The Van der Elsken family has three children: two boys and a girl. Ed is the middle child. |
1937 |
Ed van der Elsken studies for three years at the HBS (Hogere burgerschool, ‘Higher Civic Secondary School’) on the Polderweg, followed by two years at the Openbare Handelsschool (‘Public Business School’). |
1942-‘45 |
During a physical exam with the Arbeidsdienst (‘Employment Service’), he fakes illness by adding a substance found in diabetic patients to his own urine. In 1943 he attends the Kunstnijverheidschool (‘School of Applied Arts’) on the Gabriël Metsustraat in Amsterdam. His desire is to become a sculptor, to which his first year is devoted. At the end of the school year, Van der Elsken pays a random visit to his school. The school’s director, Mart Stam, warns him that the Germans are going to detain students. Despite his failed medical exam, he decides to go into hiding. He heads for the town of Bergeyk in North Brabant. He initially receives shelter from Piet Blijenburg, the director of the weaving mill ‘De Ploeg’. Through him, Van der Elsken arrives at the farm of the Wijnen family. Following the Battle of Arnhem, which limits the Allied forces’ success to just the southern part of the Netherlands, Van der Elsken finds work as an interpreter at the airfield in Eindhoven. Shortly after, he works as a volunteer for the Mijnopruimingsdienst (‘Department of Landmine Clearance’) and receives training at Knokke-Zoute, Belgium. He becomes a specialist in dismantling bombs. His achievements earn him a promotion. |
1945-‘47 |
After the liberation of the Netherlands, Van der Elsken leaves the army and returns to live with his parents in Betondorp. When approached for the draft, he decides to refuse. With his status as a war volunteer, he is ultimately exempted from military conscription. Van der Elsken’s desire now is to become a film operator. To obtain his diploma as an electrician, he therefore enrols at the Avondambachtschool (a basic secondary-level vocational school offering classes in the evening) on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. He sits for one exam, but by this time he has already changed his mind and decided he wants to become a photographer. He takes a written course with the Fotovakschool (‘Vocational School of Photography’) in The Hague, but fails the exam. In the meantime, he works for the publishing company De Arbeiderspers (‘The Workers’ Press’) in Amsterdam, assigned with the tasks of technical proofreading and checking proof sheets. |
1947 |
With his father’s 9×12 plate camera, Van der Elsken starts shooting photos on the streets of Amsterdam. He photographs prostitutes on the Amsterdam Zeedijk and the street life in and around Het Kolkje canal. He sells his photos to people on the street. He moves to a house of his own on the Admiralengracht in Amsterdam. In the fall, Van der Elsken finds work at Foto Brouwer in Wormerveer, a small-town photographer’s atelier and photo store, where he performs various simple darkroom tasks. Van der Elsken then finds a day job working at Nico Zomer’s studio in Amsterdam. He also works nights assisting the photographer Louis van Beurden at his studio on the Deurloostraat in Amsterdam. With his earnings, Van der Elsken saves enough money to buy a Rolleicord camera. |
1949 |
Van der Elsken hitchhikes to Paris and Marseille to visit his sister and his brother-in-law’s family. During his travels, he takes a number of photographs. Back in Amsterdam, he shows his photos by chance to Annelies Romein, a photographer with the GKf (Gebonden Kunstenfederatie, vakgroep fotografie, ‘United Art Federation, Department of Photography’). Romein is enthusiastic about his work and shows them to her colleagues. As a result, Van der Elsken comes into contact with other GKf photographers, including Emmy Andriesse, Ad Windig, Paul Huf. He also meets Meik de Swaan, a wealthy businessman and patron who later provides him with financial support on occasion during his days of impoverishment in Paris. Van der Elsken is subsequently accepted into the select circle of the GKf photographers. In the same year, he moves to a room on the Prinsenhofsteeg, above Ad Windig’s studio, where he is allowed to live here for free in exchange for doing darkroom work and assisting him with assignments. Through Windig, Van der Elsken becomes acquainted with Jan Vrijman, a journalist and later filmmaker. In this period, Van der Elsken does occasional photographic work, e.g. photographing ships and cranes for the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Scheepvaartmaatschappij (‘Royal Dutch Shipping Company’). |
1950 |
Van der Elsken moves to an attic room at Oudezijds Achterburgwal 64. He enters a period of depression. A marriage proposal that goes awry pushes him over the brink and he decides to spend the summer in Paris. He receives a letter of introduction from Kryn Taconis addressed to Pierre Gassmann, the director of Pictorial Service, the photo lab of the Magnum photographers. In Paris, Van der Elsken finds work in just one day: making test prints at Pictorial Service. He rents a small studio apartment (‘chambre de bonne’) on the Rue des Martyrs in the red-light district of Paris. |
1950-‘54 |
After two months, Ed van der Elsken quits his job and begins photographing on the streets of Paris. During his ramblings about the city, he befriends a group of young bohemians having various nationalities, who spend their time in the cafes and bars in Saint Germain des Prés. Van der Elsken moves to Rue Guisarde 12, nearby the Saint Sulpice in the heart of the same neighbourhood. His photos of these displaced youths result in his semi-autobiographical photo novel Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés, (‘Love on the Left Bank’), which appears in 1956. Ata Kandó, a Hungarian refugee who Van der Elsken met at Pictorial Service in 1950, is featured in a number of these photos. Van der Elsken moves to Sèvres with Kandó and her three children, not far from Paris, but keeps his room in the Rue Guisarde. Ed van der Elsken and Ata Kandó marry at Sèvres on 26 June 1954. Van der Elsken receives commissions on an incidental basis from e.g. the magazine L’Album du Figaro, and the Italian fashion designer, Elsa Schiaparelli. Various foreign and Dutch magazines and newspapers publish his photos. Van der Elsken furnishes press photos to Het Parool, where Theo Ramaker is the photo editor. De Groene Amsterdammer features photos by Van der Elsken on occasion, accompanied by a brief story written by the magazine’s editor, Jacques van der Ster. |
1953 |
Through the photographers at Magnum and Raimond Grosset of the Rapho photo agency (named after its founder, Charles Rado), his agent in Paris, Van der Elsken comes into contact with Edward Steichen, curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. At this time, Steichen is working on various projects, including preparations for the exhibition The Family of Man (1955). In May 1953, Steichen selects eighteen of Van der Elsken’s photos for the exhibition Post- War European Photography, held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In February, Van der Elsken photographs the flooding disaster in the Dutch province of Zeeland. |
1954 |
In February, a number of Van der Elsken’s Parisian photos appear in Picture Post in the form of a photo narrative concerning a love story in Saint Germain des Prés, entitled ‘Why did Roberto leave Paris?’ In September and October, various photos from this photo narrative as well appear in the Dutch family magazine De Wereldkroniek (‘The World Chronicle’), published in four issues. |
1955 |
In January, Ed van der Elsken moves to Amsterdam with Ata Kandó and her children, residing at Achtergracht 39. From 10 May to 1 July, Van der Elsken’s first one-man exhibition is held at the Chicago Art Institute, comprising 62 photographs. The exhibition subsequently travels to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Together with Jan Vrijman, Van der Elsken produces a number of photo reportages for Vrij Nederland: on the hooligans of the Amsterdam Nieuwendijk, Karel Appel, W.F. Hermans, and the French fascist Pierre Poujade. As a result of a television programme about the Saint Germain des Prés photos, Van der Elsken gets to know the director of the AVRO television network, Leen Timp, and learns about the medium of film. Shortly after, he makes his first 16mm film, in cooperation with Jan Vrijman. Its subject is the CERN project (Centre Européen de Recherche Nucléaire) in Geneva. He officially divorces Ata Kandó on 16 September. |
1956 |
Op 21 April, Jan Vrijman opens Van der Elsken’s first solo exhibition in the Netherlands, held in Hilversum at Steendrukkerij De Jong & Co. (a lithographic printing company), in the company’s canteen. The exhibition includes many works from his Parisian period. Later in the year, Van der Elsken is hit by the loose wheel of a truck and is consequently out of commission for several months. He moves to Koningsstraat 5 in the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood of Amsterdam, where he lives until 1970. In these years, he wanders about Amsterdam with his camera. At the end of the year, Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés is published by the Amsterdam publishing house De Bezige Bij, with an English and German edition appearing simultaneously. In December, Van der Elsken departs for French Equatorial Africa, having received an airline ticket from Geert Lubberhuizen at De Bezige Bij. Lubberhuizen has commissioned him to make a photobook. |
1957 |
Through March, Van der Elsken photographs in and around the region of Ubangi-Shari on the border of French Equatorial Africa and the Belgian Congo, where his brother-in-law, Milou, an ethnologist, is the district head. Van der Elsken finances his safari by making a 16mm film. He also shoots colour photographs. On 25 September, Ed van der Elsken marries Gerda van der Veen. |
1958 |
In the fall, Van der Elsken’s second photobook is released, entitled Bagara, concerning his travels in the African jungle. Editions are published in Germany, South Africa, France and Great Britain. |
1959-‘60 |
Van der Elsken takes a fourteen-month trip around the world, together with Van der Veen. In doing so, he quits halfway through an assignment for the Nederlands Danstheater (‘Netherlands Dance Theatre’), with Eddy Postuma de Boer subsequently completing the project. During their trip, Van der Elsken and Van der Veen make a film for the Nederlandse Redersvereniging (‘Dutch Shipping Association’) on the theme of Dutch shipping companies around the world. In exchange, they are allowed to travel for free. The AVRO broadcasting company also finances part of the trip. The couple’s travel journals are sent back to the Netherlands, subsequently edited by Leen Timp, and broadcast on Dutch television once a month. Ed van der Elsken also produces travel journals for the De Katholieke Illustratie, (‘The Catholic Illustration’). Van der Veen does the same for Beatrijs, a magazine for Catholic women. Their travels bring them to western Africa, South Africa, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, back to Hong Kong, Mexico, and the United States. |
1960-‘61 |
Van der Elsken works on the final editing of his film for the Nederlandse Redersvereniging, as well as a photobook concerning his trip around the world. On 12 June 1961, Van der Elsken and Van der Veen’s first child is born, Tinelou. |
1962 |
Unable to find a publisher for his completed photobook of his round-the-world trip, Van der Elsken becomes greatly disappointed and consequently foreswears photography. For approximately five years, he takes very few photos and devotes his time entirely to the medium of film. During this period and the years to follow, he experiments with improving film equipment, in cooperation with the instrument maker Henk Meinema. Together the two men develop various technologies to synchronise sound recording on 16mm film cameras. One of their priorities is to make the camera as soundproof as possible, to eliminate distracting background noise that occurs during synchronised sound recording. |
1963 |
Van der Elsken works as a cameraman on various films, usually together his wife, Gerda van der Veen, who is responsible for the sound recordings. Van der Elsken makes a film about Gerda’s pregnancy and the birth of the couple’s son, Daan Dorus, on 8 May, entitled Welkom in het leven, lieve kleine (‘Welcome to Life, Dear Little One’). |
1964 |
Van der Elsken works intensively with film. He attends the Korte Filmfestival (‘Short Film Festival’) in Oberhausen, Germany, as a reporter for the newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad. |
1966 |
Thanks to the efforts of the publisher Andreas Landshoff, co-publishers are found for Van der Elsken’s book about his round-the-world trip, entitled Sweet Life. The book is printed in Japan, with large editions in Dutch, English, German, Spanish, French and Japanese. By the end of the year, De Bezige Bij releases Sweet Life in the Netherlands. Van der Elsken has an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, entitled Hee… zie je dat? (‘Hey… you see that?’), with many of the photos from Sweet Life on exhibit. Van der Elsken is asked to do photo reportages for the Dutch monthly magazine Avenue, in part resulting from his exhibition at the Stedelijk. |
1967-‘79 |
During these years, Van der Elsken makes numerous travel photo reportages for Avenue. After 1979, shoots photos for the magazine only on an incidental basis. In 1967, Van der Elsken’s work is shown with that of Martien Coppens at Expo 67 in Montreal. |
1971 |
Van der Elsken receives the ‘staatsprijs voor filmkunst’ (‘national prize for the art of film’) for De verliefde camera (‘The Infatuated Camera’), which features several fragments filmed by Gerda van der Veen. Van der Elsken and Van der Veen decide to live apart. Van der Elsken moves to a small farm near Edam, on the dike along the IJsselmeer. Nature and rural living will come to play an important role in his work and life. |
1973 |
Anneke Hilhorst moves in with Van der Elsken in Edam, with the couple having met in 1972. As of 25 June, Van der Elsken and Van der Veen are officially divorced. Van der Elsken begins to experiment with Super 8 film. |
1974-‘75 |
In September 1974, Van der Elsken and Peter Lichtenauer are invited to travel to Bangladesh on behalf of the woman’s magazine Margriet. There the two men are to make a reportage about the disasters confronting this country. Deeply shocked by the circumstances they encounter, they also do a reportage for television. The televising of this film in the news programme ‘Hier en Nu’ (‘Here and Now’) by the NCRV broadcasting company plays a role in the initiation of aid campaigns for Bangladesh. In the mid-1970s, Van der Elsken experiments with various sound slideshow series, whereby the sound has been recorded in synchronicity with a slide reportage. Van der Elskens’ series on the Efteling amusement park, Zandvoort, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, and sumo wrestling are subsequently broadcast on Dutch television. Van der Elsken opens a photo gallery at his home, where he is able to sell his own photography. |
1975 |
The AFK (Stichting Amsterdams Fonds voor de Kunst, ‘Amsterdam Fund for the Arts’) commissions Van der Elsken to photograph various aspects of Amsterdam street life. |
1976-‘77 |
The organisation Memisa commissions Van der Elsken and Anneke Hilhorst to make a film about the Third World. Their travels bring them to Pakistan, Thailand, Borneo, Bangladesh, India, Malawi, Madagascar, Brazil, Haiti, and the Solomon Islands. The film is broadcast on television by the AVRO broadcasting company in January 1978. |
1979 |
Johnny van der Elsken is born on 7 July. |
1980 |
The film and book Avonturen op het land (‘Adventures in the Countryside’) are completed. Much of the film has been edited by Anneke Hilhorst. Ed van der Elsken and Pieter Boersma are chosen for the Rijksmuseum’s annual documentary photo assignment, this year on the topic ‘De omroep in Nederland’ (‘The Broadcasting Company in the Netherlands’). |
1981-‘82 |
Van der Elsken makes a sequel to his film Welkom in het leven, lieve kleine from 1963. The sequel shows Van der Elsken’s adult son, Daan Dorus, who lives in a squatter’s house. In this film, there are also shots of the dilapidated Zeedijk in Amsterdam, shot with a hidden camera. The film is broadcast on Dutch television by the VPRO on 24 January 1982. In 1981, Van der Elsken publishes a book on his years in Paris: Parijs! Foto’s 1950-1954. |
1983-‘84 |
In the spring and summer of 1983, Van der Elsken photographs on the streets of Amsterdam virtually on a daily basis for his column ‘Ed’s Amsterdam’ in Het Parool. In 1984, Van der Elsken compiles the photobook Amsterdam?. On 8 March 1984, Ed van der Elsken and Anneke Hilhorst wed. |
1984-‘87 |
During these years, Van der Elsken makes frequent visits to Japan. In 1986, he has a large exhibition in Tokyo. In order to complete his magnum opus on Japan, Van der Elsken receives a working grant from the Ministry of WVC (Ministerie van Welzijn, Volksgezondheid en Cultuur, ‘Welfare, Public Health and Culture’) in 1987. |
1988 |
The end product of Van der Elsken’s efforts in Japan comes to fruition with the publication of the photobook De ontdekking van Japan (‘The Discovery of Japan’) by Uitgeverij Fragment in Amsterdam. Van der Elsken begins work on a book about Korea, commissioned by his Japanese publisher. Upon returning from his first trip to Korea, Van der Elsken learns in September that he has terminal cancer. Ed van der Elsken receives the David Roëll Prize for his entire oeuvre. |
1989-‘90 |
Following surgery, Van der Elsken has renewed energy. He decides to make a video film about his illness. The project is financed by the VPRO. For the length of one year, he films the progress of his illness, with the help of his wife, Anneke Hilhorst. Entitled Bye, the filming is completed in May 1990. In March 1990, Van der Elsken receives the Capi-Lux Jubilee Prize. In between film shoots, he works on a new version of his book Bagara, as well as a book about Hong Kong for his Japanese publisher. He also works on a new edition of his book Jazz, on assignment for Uitgeverij Fragment. In addition, Van der Elsken is involved in preparations being made for his retrospective exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, as well as the compilation of the book Once Upon A Time (Publisher: Fragment). Ed van der Elsken dies on 28 December 1990. He is buried at the St. Nicholas Church (the ‘Grote Kerk’) in Edam. |
1991 |
On 25 January, the film Bye is shown at the Rotterdam Film Festival. On 27 January, Bye is broadcast on Dutch television by the VPRO. |
Discussion
‘A photographic game hunter’ ‘photo creature, ‘terrier’, ‘hawk’: these are the harsh terms commonly used to describe Ed van der Elsken. Such characterisations are made in reference to Van der Elsken’s intense lifestyle, his dominant personality, and the commitment with which he photographed humanity’s passions and suffering. He is the photographer of life, of society’s margins, but also of love, vitality and the ‘condition humaine’ (‘human condition’). Ed van der Elsken’s oeuvre—comprising circa 100,000 negatives and circa 30,000 colour slides—arose on the streets of the world’s metropoles. Just by wandering about the city, he went in search of those with a special charisma. He found them among the eccentrics, the crackpots, and the misfits. At the international level, his work belongs to the best in this genre. Van der Elsken described himself as an autodidact: ‘I don’t think I was influenced by anyone. I’ve always been alone, have always been content with myself and my surroundings, which are so fantastic, I don’t need anyone else.’
Indeed, the photographic genre he chose and developed—street photography—had no precedent in the Netherlands. Even the studies he undertook—the Kunstnijverheidschool (‘School of Applied Arts’) in Amsterdam and the Fotovakschool (‘Vocational School of Photography’) in The Hague—bore no relation to the nature of his work. The written course at vocational school equipped him with a basic technical knowledge, but it was impossible for him to relate to the aesthetic that was being taught there. Consequently, he failed his exams. At the Kunstnijverheidschool in Amsterdam, Van der Elsken devoted himself to sculpture. By his own account, a year of study in an area that was entirely different than photography contributed greatly to his artistic formation: ‘At the same time, I’m busy with beauty. I’m a visual man. I began as a sculptor and I think I’m very form-conscious. I love simplicity. Round, expressive forms. I choose light that really brings out the forms. Light without shadow. The photo of those two Mona Lisas on the Nieuwmarkt, this one’s fascinating because the design is very simple. Those girls are standing there like statues. Typically the photo of a photographer who first wanted to be a sculptor. Because of its plasticity, it’s also a photo of lasting value. That’s what I’m trying to achieve: I want to capture the “universality of humanity” in photos with pathos and allure!’
Because the man, his private life, and photography are all so closely bound together, Van der Elsken’s formation as an individual is equally as relevant as his development as a photographer. His stay in Bergeyk during the last winter of the war made a great impression on him. He once stated that his first encounter with the violence of war—seeing the bodies of German soldiers, fallen during the battle of Arnhem—served as a determining factor in his development as a person and as an artist. It was also during this time that he first came into contact with photography magazines such as Picture Post, which the Allied soldiers were reading. From these, Van der Elsken cut out photos to make collages.
The small jobs that Van der Elsken took on with the photographers Nico Zomer and Louis van Beurden in the years 1947 to 1949 entailed no more than what he himself described as ‘sweeping up the studio’. Evidently, this is not where he found his inspiration. At about the same time, he came into possession of the book Naked City by the New York street photographer ‘Weegee’. Naked City made a big impression on Van der Elsken. He would later go on to purchase a Speed Graphic camera—the type once used by Weegee—as a kind of tribute to the photographer.
Van der Elsken’s encounter with the artistic milieu of the GKf (Gebonden Kunstenfederatie, vakgroep fotografie, ‘United Art Federation, Department of Photography’), which occurred around 1949, was important for his further photographic development. He especially admired Emmy Andriesse, who in his estimation stood out from the others artistically. The GKf also brought Van der Elsken into contact with Ad Windig, whom he assisted for one year both in the darkroom as well as on assignments. Within the GKf, where he was seen as a new talent, Van der Elsken nevertheless remained somewhat of an outsider, an individualist.
Equally relevant to Van der Elsken’s formation as a photographer was the period around 1950, at which time he worked in the darkroom of Pictorial Service, the photo lab of the photographers working at Magnum. It was here that he came into contact with Henri Cartier-Bresson, Werner Bischof, and Ernst Haas. For several months, Van der Elsken printed these photographers’ photos.
From 1950 to early 1955, Ed van der Elsken lived in the French capital. It was during this period that he reached an artistic pinnacle in his own autonomous work, bringing him first international, and somewhat later, national renown. It was during a period of depression that Van der Elsken had made his decision to move to Paris. Moreover, the general mood in the Netherlands at this time was anything but inspiring. The country had emerged from the war impoverished and facing a period of reconstruction. Young people in their twenties felt that the post-war era had brought no improvement, no revitalised culture, and not even peace. For them, it was a period of cultural void.
It was during these years that various Dutch artists left the Netherlands for Paris, including artists such as Karel Appel, Corneille, and Constant, as well as writers and poets, e.g. Simon Vinkenoog, Hugo Claus, and Rudy Kousbroek. Contrary to many of the other European cities, the French capital had emerged from the war virtually unscathed. In Paris, the European civilization that had been hit hard elsewhere seemed to have survived intact. But it was not only artists who sought refuge in the French metropolis during the post-war years. Paris appealed to those young people who—in one way or another—had been scarred by the war, and who lived without ideals or future expectations in the margins of society.
After quitting his job at Pictorial Service, Ed van der Elsken began to wander about Paris, equipped with his camera. He came into contact with young people of various nationalities living in the neighbourhood of Saint Germain des Prés, who were spending all of their time hanging out in cafes like the ‘Chez Moineau’ on the Rue du Four, ‘Le Mabillon’ on the Carrefour Mabillon, or ‘The Old Navy’ on the Boulevard Saint Germain des Prés. Being in a similar, doleful state of mind himself, Van der Elsken felt drawn to this group. Consequently, he began shooting photos of their activities, or rather their inactivity. Vali Myers was a gorgeous model from Australia, with her heavily made-up, melancholy eyes. The soft light and the veils of smoke underscored the listless atmosphere in the cafes, with the mirrored walls at times creating an endless visual repetition and interesting compositions. It was especially during his days in Paris that Van der Elsken focused on photographing emotions. Despondency is the most prominent emotion expressed in the photos taken in the bars of Saint Germain des Prés. In his own domestic life, Van der Elsken portrayed the heated arguments. He also photographed passion and intimacy.
It was in Paris that Van der Elsken met Edward Steichen, a curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York—a meeting that was to be of great importance for the future course of his career. Steichen was busy preparing his exhibition The Family of Man (1955) among other things and had chosen of Van der Elsken’s photos. More significant, however, was the inclusion of eighteen of Van der Elsken’s photos in his exhibition Post-War European Photography. Held in 1953 at the Museum of Modern Art, Steichen placed seventy-eight European photographers in the spotlight, including Ernst Haas, Werner Bischof, Robert Frank and Bert Hardy. Van der Elsken’s work was extraordinarily well received in the United States. On 31 May 1953, The New York Times wrote: ‘(…) Probably the most exciting single instance of this approach is the eighteen-print group of candid shots by Ed van der Elsken of Holland, a young student whom Mr. Steichen met by chance in Paris. His pictures of student life in the cafés of the Boulevard St. Michel are rollicking documents of carefree youth, the subjects as uninhibited as Weegee’s.’
It was also Steichen who advised Ed van der Elsken to publish his photos of Saint Germain des Prés in the form of a book. In his book Parijs! Foto’s 1950-1954, Van der Elsken depicts the history of that period. Upon seeing the many contact prints, Steichen is reported to have said: ‘Ed, that’s a complete story. Why don’t you make a book of them?’ Van der Elsken: ‘What now? I had taken those photos and for me it was finished. I hadn’t thought of ever using them. A book? The photos were there, the story was there, the characters were clear. I only had to put the photos in the right order, just like you’re editing the scenes of a film, and I had my photo novel, my docudrama.’ The story that Van der Elsken drew from his photos is largely autobiographical: it concerns the hopeless, unrequited love of a Mexican man (Manuel) for a woman (Ann), who hangs out every day and night with a group of young people in the cafés of Paris.
It took a while for Van der Elsken to get his book published. Prior to publication in book form, a number of photos appeared in four issues of the magazine Picture Post, as well as the magazine De Wereldkroniek (‘World Chronicle’). In 1956, De Bezige Bij published the book under the title Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés (‘Love on the Left Bank’). An English and a German edition appeared simultaneously. The book received a great deal of attention from the press. The German reviewers were practically unanimous in their praise (British reviews are nowhere to be found). The Dutch press was somewhat divided. Vrij Nederland asked eight prominent figures in Dutch society to discuss the book: Simon Carmiggelt, L.J. Jordaan, Mea Blazer-Dekker, Godfried Bomans, Jan Buskes Jr., Jan Kok, Jan van Zutphen and Lucebert. The pastor Jan Buskes, who represented the most conservative part of the country, was the only person to express a distinctly negative view of the book. A column in the 24 November 1956 issue of the Haagsche Post—with the heading ‘De bloemen van het Boze’ (‘The Flowers of Evil’)—as well presented a highly negative view regarding the book’s tenor. The young people portrayed were seen as a threat to societal norms and values. In one indignant letter addressed to Van der Elsken (11 December 1956), a female social worker expressed the nation’s concern as follows: ‘I am completely aware that in Saint Germain the terrible circumstances you have described and photographed exist, and that is depressing enough. (…) This morbid, crude, insensitive book has (probably) cost you little effort and is (most certainly) making a profit. This second point doesn’t concern me; there are plenty of people out there who are making easy money, but the fact that you are serving this up to Dutch young people is beneath all criticism.’
Notwithstanding, Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés still went on to become a monument in the history of photography. Not just the book’s format—a photo novel was a relatively new concept—but the images themselves were as well direct and expressive. It was a kind of documentary in which the photographer was part of what was happening, while allowing just enough distance to position the camera between himself and his subject. More than anything, however, Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés was a document of its time, because it managed to capture the atmosphere in which Jean Paul Sartre’s existentialism was coming to life with such intensity. This book, which portrayed above all the nihilistic excesses of existentialist philosophy, became part of the romanticised myth building regarding the Parisian milieu of the 1950s that was to arise over the years.
In his work and his life, Ed van der Elsken was an individualist. He was in no way concerned with societal structures or conventions and harboured a great dislike for narrow-mindedness, sanctimony, and every other kind of affected behaviour. His non-conformism was expressed in both his lifestyle and his manner of working. Never did he hide his revulsion against authority.
Van der Elsken was not always able to get along with editorial boards and clients, especially when they got in the way of his freedom. In some ways, he was too proud to work for somebody else: he believed his own ideas and work were more important. He frequently devised his own projects, seeking a publishing option or financial supporter either in advance or even after the fact. His first public confrontation with the ‘photography establishment’ occurred in 1954. In February of that year, Jan Vrijman wrote a brief piece in Vrij Nederland about an underappreciated Dutch photographer in Paris. This inspired an invitation from the Dutch magazine Focus, which asked Van der Elsken to publish a number of his photos and to share his views on photography. In the magazine’s issue of 26 June 1954, Van der Elsken wrote: ‘(…) that 99% of those who concern themselves with photography are tasteless, weak, jellyfish, watermelon, and jello commercialists. Small men with no élan, fantasy, daring, artisticity.’ For Focus, this provocation was going too far. The magazine’s chief editor, Dick Boer, discussed the five photos that Van der Elsken had submitted. He deemed most of the photos to be good, but was less enthusiastic about the two interior shots: ‘Is this so incredibly interesting, is the lighting or depiction so wonderful that one feels the need to criticise others so sharply?’
Another of Van der Elsken’s provocative remarks made during the 1950s appeared in a January 1955 edition of Het Parool. Under the title, ‘Ik durf niet te signeren’ (‘I dare not sign’), he took on the photo editorial boards of the Dutch illustrated magazines. He accused photo editors of frequently taking a photographer’s work and presenting it in a truncated form. In later years, Van der Elsken was known to make rather offensive remarks concerning his fellow photographers. It was part of his proud character to oppose anyone who worked for commercial ends. His own decision to become a photographic artist was unconditional, a choice that resulted in relative poverty. It was a choice he could afford to make based on those close to him who were willing to make sacrifices.
During interviews, Ed van der Elsken often referred to himself as ‘the photographer of the margins of society.’ When considering his oeuvre in its totality, however, it is not life’s seamier side that predominates. In actuality, it was the positive side of life that Van der Elsken photographed abundantly: optimism, vitality and love. This is not to say that the margin played no special role in his work. After all, Van der Elsken was most fascinated by the proud, colourful individual living in industrial society. This fascination frequently led him to the red-light districts and the ghettos of the big cities, where he photographed gangsters, transvestites, tramps, and rebellious young people. It was a number of these photos that were to become world-famous, giving him the image of a ‘fringe’ photographer.
Many photographers with a desire to capture the marginal elements of society do so based on a political motivation or social commitment. With Van der Elsken, however, one is hard-pressed to find any political engagement. Nevertheless, there are a number of instances in which he drew attention to various injustices with his photos and films, such as the reportages on starvation in Bangladesh that led to relief efforts. But this was not his primary motivation. Van der Elsken’s outcasts and losers are by no means pathetic. In fact, he depicts their sense of human dignity, paying tribute to them. There was no desire on his part to raise ethical questions, to inspire indignation, or arouse feelings of pity. On the contrary, his photos express a certain admiration for their inappropriate behaviour. Van der Elsken was able to identify with his subjects.
Sculpture, graffiti, and posters are other noteworthy subjects encountered in Van der Elsken’s photography. Even during his days in Paris, he was already making a photographic series of large advertising murals, with passers-by featured in the foreground. During all of his later travels, he photographed sculpture that intrigued him. Photos of sculpture, wall murals or texts often play a role in his photobooks. Van der Elsken was fascinated with photographing images made by others fascinated, as this introduced a form of stratification to the reality depicted in his photos. He was enthusiastic about xerography in a similar way. In 1988, he exhibited photocopies of photos intended for his book Nippon Datta—furnished with all kinds of layout instructions—at the Canon Image Centre in Amsterdam.
In the mid-1970s, Van der Elsken began to photograph life in the polder around his farm in Edam. His favourite subjects were the horses he was breeding and the swans that had settled on the canals near his home. But he also captured life forms that could only be seen through a microscope. Van der Elsken’s photographs of swans were published in the book Zomaar in een sloot ergens bij Edam (‘Simply in a Canal Somewhere Near Edam’). Hans Bouma was assigned with the text and layout of this book, so Van der Elsken could devote himself entirely to the book, Eye Love You.
Van der Elsken’s interest in Japan arose more or less by chance, when visiting the country for several weeks during his trip around the world in 1959. The culture and the people inspired him to no end. During his lifetime, he travelled to Japan fifteen more times. In 1988, his magnum opus on this topic was published, entitled De ontdekking van Japan (‘The Discovery of Japan’). Van der Elsken described his fascination with the country in the following words: ‘The Japanese are beautiful, very beautiful people. (…) The interesting men in Japan still adhere very strongly to the good old Samurai ways. And at the same time, they’re still more or less obliged to live with that modern society, with its money and its hard work, superficialism, consumption patterns, and television with its endless commercials.’ What appealed to Van der Elsken was the Japanese pride and the grappling of the individual with the country’s collectivist mentality. As he once pointed out, the fact that everyone in the country wants to be photographed was one practical advantage of working in Japan—he was event able to photograph gangsters without risk of life. Van der Elsken’s affinity with the country extended as well to Japanese publishers. Four of his photobooks were published in Japan, featuring work that for the most part had already been published in the Netherlands. He also held numerous exhibitions of his work there.
Van der Elsken’s oeuvre was generally a product of his roaming about the streets for hours, ever in search of his subjects, i.e. his people. Upon ‘seeing’ a photo, there was first the brief eye contact: ‘Looking continually into their eyes and making it clear what you’re doing.’ The contact was very brief, lasting not more than one or two seconds—just enough to parry any concern and to get them to cooperate, ‘and to show them you’re not an asshole.’ By capturing his subjects when looking directly into the lens and drawing out a spontaneous reaction, Van der Elsken came up with photos that were expressive, and which strongly appealed to people’s sentiment. He was usually dressed quite eccentrically himself, donning a fur hat or wearing a necklace of beads and teeth around his neck. When shooting his photos—usually with Leica and Nikon cameras—Van der Elsken often talked to his subjects while circling around them, almost as if he were dancing. His performance was designed, as it were, to challenge the person in front of him in order to elicit a response. As such, Van der Elsken’s approach involved an element of artistic direction—one that was deeply tied to his personality and character, i.e. something virtually inimitable. As he put it himself: ‘When I’m photographing on the street, then I’m simply someone who’s very present, who dominates that ten square meters of space. For a moment, I’m the boss. This has become my specialty.” Van der Elsken frequently photographed from close up, using a wide-angle lens. This often made the image appear more direct and expressive. On those few occasions when someone took objection to being photographed, Van der Elsken made no further use of the negative for that particular shot.
Ed van der Elsken has approximately twenty-five photobooks to his name. Practically all of these books stem from a concept he developed himself. Sometimes he sought a publisher beforehand, at other times only once a project had been completed. Rarely did he make a photobook on assignment. Those projects that were done on commission were carried out entirely according to his own wishes. This kind of independent attitude was unique for a Dutch photographer, with Cas Oorthuys being one possible exception. Van der Elsen’s personal mark is clearly distinguishable in the design of all of his photobooks. Photos bleeding off the page, the rich dark backgrounds, and pages chockfull of images alternating with subdued two-page spreads are all elements found in his first photobook, Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés. The same characteristics, however, are also found in De ontdekking van Japan. Whether designed by Anthon Beeke or Jurriaan Schrofer, the books share the same engaging composition. The photos are frequently presented in a full-page format, leaving little or no space for captions. Yet the text is still an important component of these books and in most cases written by Van der Elsken himself. His writing style is very direct and he formulates his thoughts straight and to the point in a manner resembling everyday speech. He enjoys being provocative and is often quite humorous. His texts are unique to his personality and part of what gives his books a personal feel. The brief introductions in Jazz were written by others, and in Bagara, Van der Elsken’s oral accounts were transcribed. In addition to his texts, Van der Elsken created his own personal ambience by as well incorporating intimate shots taken from his domestic life. The most personal of these are included in a photobook that was never to be completed, entitled Wij wachten tot deze deur opengaat (‘We’re Waiting Until this Door Opens’), to which he also referred as the Livre de la Dance (‘Book of Dance’). This work centred around his relationship with Ata Kandó, their life together at their apartment in Sèvres, their domestic arguments, and their children growing up. A number of photos intended for this book were published in the Christmas issue of the Dutch magazine Drukkersweekblad en Autolijn in 1954. Avonturen op het land (‘Adventures in the Countryside’) is a very personal book from 1980, which primarily focuses on Van der Elsken’s relationship with his second wife, Anneke Hilhorst, and their life together at the house in the polder near Edam.
Two ‘captions’ serve to illustrate the atmosphere Van der Elsken managed to create in his books. The first example, excerpted from Sweet Life, has poetic qualities: ‘Sweet Life, sweet and sour, sweet and bitter. How I shall blather on about “life”, about happiness. About “it is indeed good here on earth” or “it is all but a valley of tears, later in heaven… etc.” You know yourself. You’d better know it yourself: unbelievable, fantastic I find it here, find life, find the things, the birds and the bees, the cow and the calf and a whole horse half [?], the white tops of the dunes, the bronze-green oak, John F. en Robert Kennedy, Picasso, Georges Brassens, Fidel Castro, [Pope] John the twenty-third.’ The second example, excerpted from Amsterdam!, is a text that accompanies a photo of young girls being harassed on the Dam Square, in a manner typical of Van der Elsken: ‘It’s indeed sometimes a nuisance, girls, that eternally aggressive male pestering, you can’t even enjoy sitting on the Dam Square monument for a second, but you’ll have to try and understand, that we too are simply being manoeuvred, tickled in our crotch by the hand of the Great Procreator.’ Van der Elsken also often recorded the background data concerning those he portrayed, the country or city, or the event he was attending—always with a personal touch.
Van der Elsken had very few regular clients. One exception was the monthly magazine Avenue, with which he maintained a relatively long-term working relationship. From 1967 to 1982, Van der Elsken made approximately twenty travel reportages abroad and another five inside the Netherlands, with most in colour. The ideas for the locations were often his own. A number of these reportages were done in collaboration with well-known Dutch writers, including Harry Mulisch, Hugo Claus and Dick Hillenius. It was Joop Swart, Avenue‘s founder and chief editor, who conceived the idea of teaming up a renowned writer and a respected photographer. For his 1972 reportage on the revolution in Chile, Van der Elsken also wrote the text himself. After this point, he went on to supply both the images and text for virtually all of the Avenue reportages. Van der Elsken’s book Eye Love You as well features much of the work he did for Avenue.
Besides being a photographer, Ed van der Elsken was also a filmmaker. He made a large number of short and longer films, in most cases specifically for television. Van der Elsken began working with film in 1955, in the days when he was doing a lot of work for Jan Vrijman. In 1962, he was a camera assistant to Raoul Coutard, ‘the’ cameraman of the ‘Nouvelle Vague’ film directors. Leen Timp, film director at the AVRO broadcasting company, had hired Van der Elsken back in the 1960s to work as freelance cameraman on short films to be shown on the Dutch television programme Mies-en-scène. Timp gave him both an opportunity and the material to work extensively with film and to learn the craft on his own. Van der Elsken’s film camera technique was rather unconventional for the 1950s and ’60s. Contrary to what was standard for television at the time—where people were seated directly in front of the camera on a tripod, with ample amounts of light—Van der Elsken hoisted the camera up onto his shoulder, and began filming while moving around, as well taking advantage of the natural lighting. To film more rapidly and directly, and to do so with synchronous sound, Van der Elsken took the film equipment available to him, as impractical as it was, and adapted it to meet his own needs.
Gerda van der Veen, Van der Elsken’s first wife, played an indispensable role in her husband’s filmwork during the 1960s. She was in charge of the sound recording. Their work broke through the tension between the ‘artistic’ filmmakers and those working in television that existed at the time. In the eyes of the first group, working for television was inferior: only film was art. Van der Elsken operated as someone working outside both these worlds, allowing him to show television’s expressive potential. It was the VPRO that eventually provided him with even greater opportunities, a broadcasting company for which he made a variety of films from this time forward. The film Welkom in het leven, lieve kleine (‘Welcome to Life, Dear Little One’, on the birth of his son, Daan Dorus) was made for the VPRO, as were De verliefde camera (‘The Infatuated Camera’), Avonturen op het land (‘Adventures in the Countryside’), and Welkom in het leven, lieve kleine (bis) (the sequel to ‘Welcome to Life, Dear Little One’).
In the 1970s, Van der Elsken made a number of films—most often together with Anneke Hilhorst—using a Super 8 film camera, a compact and inexpensive camera originally intended for amateurs. By working with relatively inexpensive equipment and materials (in fact, the same applies to his sound slideshow series), he managed to remain independent. Just as he kept the photobooks primarily under his own charge, he ultimately handled his films in the same manner. Van der Elsken came up with the story and did both the directing and the actual filming himself. His parting film, entitled Bye, is an impressive example of his total artistry, addressing the topic of his own incurable illness. As a filmmaker, one of Van der Elsken’s most important contributions was the introduction of the dynamic camera technique.
In the history of Dutch photography, Van der Elsken holds a place that is completely unique. His photography belongs to the realm of Weegee’s harsh reality, Cartier-Bresson’s ‘l´instant décisif’, William Klein’s intrusion, and the suggestive images of Robert Frank. The theme of man in his ‘condition humaine’, however, is much more essential to Van der Elsken than with any of the others. In the 1950s, he broke away from established conventions in the Netherlands, in film as well as in photography. With the latter, he departed from a purely documentary standpoint, introducing the element of expression and the photographer’s involvement, both as a person and an artist. While Van der Elsken most certainly had an eye for composition and aesthetics, they were not key to his approach. Instead, he was more concerned with capturing his chosen subject matter—Life—in his own way. In terms of sheer quantity, but also form and content, the photobooks that Van der Elsken produced on his own are unique to the history of photography.
Throughout his life, Ed van der Elsken photographed people: proud, happy, sad, and especially colourful individuals. Sincerity was a keyword both in his life and in his photography. His closing words in his final film were telling: ‘Show who you are’. For young photographers, Van der Elsken’s extraordinary lifestyle and his unconditional choice to lead the artist’s life have acquired a romantic sheen. Unwilling to make concessions, he was not someone who was always easy to get along with. Van der Elsken’s photography has influenced various Dutch photographers. His high-contrast printing technique and his stylised skies—an effect achieved with burning—inspired a generation of photographers, including Paul van den Bos, Willem Diepraam, Johan van der Keuken, Wim van der Linden, Bert Nienhuis, Koen Wessing, and others.
Documentation
Primary bibliography
Most important photo books:
Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés, Amsterdam (De Bezige Bij) z.j. (1956). (Duitse ed.: Ein Liebe, Hamburg (Rowohlt Verlag); Engelse ed.: A Love On The Left Bank, Londen (André Deutsch)).
Jan Vrijman (tekst), Bagara, Amsterdam (De Bezige Bij) z.j. (1958). (idem Franse, Engelse en Zuid-Afrikaanse ed.; Duitse ed.: Das echte Afrika, Hamburg (Hoffmann und Campe)).
Jan Vrijman e.a. (tekst), Jazz, Amsterdam (De Bezige Bij) 1959.
Sweet Life, Amsterdam (De Bezige Bij) 1966. (idem Engelse, Duitse Spaanse, Franse en Japanse ed.).
Eye Love You, Bussum (Van Holkema & Warendorf) 1977.
Hallo, Bussum (Van Holkema & Warendorf) 1978.
Amsterdam! Oude foto’s – 1947-1970, Bussum (Van Holkema & Warendorf) 1979 (2de ed.: Houten (Bruna) 1988).
Avonturen op het land, Bussum (Van Holkema & Warendorf) z.j. (1980).
Parijs! Foto’s 1950-1954, Amsterdam (Bert Bakker) 1981.
Amsterdam?, Amsterdam (Bert Bakker) 1984.
‘Are you famous?’ (La Grande Parade in het Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam), Amsterdam (Meulenhoff/Landshoff) 1985.
A. de Swaan (voorwoord), Jong Nederland, adorabele rotzakken, 1947-1987, Amsterdam (Bert Bakker) 1987.
Nippon Datta, Tokio 1987.
Jazz 1955-1959.61, Tokio (Libroport Co. Ltd.) 1988.
De ontdekking van Japan, Amsterdam (Fragment) 1988.
J. Bernleff (inl.), Jazz, Amsterdam (Fragment) 1991 (met foto’s).
Evelyn de Regt e.a. (tekst), Once Upon A Time, Amsterdam (Fragment) 1991 (met foto’s).
Photography = Engagement, in Camera 33 (januari 1954) I, p. 16-23 (met foto’s).
Why did Roberto leave Paris, in Picture Post 6, 13, 20, 27 februari 1954.
Nederlandse fotograaf Van der Elsken (Parijs) over Nederlandse fotografie, in Focus 39 (26 juni 1954) 13, p. 322-323.
Jurriaan Schrofer (tekst), Beeldroman van het alledaagse, in Drukkersweekblad en Autolijn 1954 (Kerstnummer), p. 58-69.
Ik durf niet te signeren, in Het Parool 26 januari 1955.
Vrij Nederland 3 augustus 1955.
Vrij Nederland 27 augustus 1955.
Vrij Nederland 3 september 1955.
Vrij Nederland 12 november 1955, p. 3.
Vrij Nederland 19 november 1955, p. 5.
Kalender Parijs. Foto’s van Ed van der Elsken, Amsterdam (J.J. Kuurstra) 1957.
Horror on safari …, in Sunday Graphic 14 december 1958.
Catalogus tent. Ed van der Elsken, Schiedam/Breda (Stedelijk Museum Schiedam/Cultureel Centrum ‘De Beyerd’) 1959.
Maak iets van je leven, in Taboe 1 (1961), p. 22-28 (met foto’s).
Jan Vrijman (tekst), Musique barbare van Karel Appel, Baarn 1963 (met grammofoonplaat).
Du september 1963.
Plaatjes kijken in Oberhausen, in Algemeen Handelsblad 15 februari 1964.
Catalogus tent. Ed van der Elsken, Amsterdam (Stedelijk Museum) 1966 (catalogus nr. 399).
Wereldreis in foto’s. (4 delen), z.p. (Leeuwarden) (Coöp. Condensfabriek ‘Friesland’) z.j. (1967/1968).
Anthon Beeke e.a., Alphabet, Hilversum (Steendrukkerij De Jong en Co) 1970.
Peter Lichtenauer (tekst), (artikelen m.b.t. Aktie Bangladesh), in Margriet (24 mei 1975) 20 t/m (16 augustus 1975) 32 (met foto’s).
Over Tajiri, in Catalogus tent. Spiegels met herinneringen. 101 Daguerreotypieën van Tajiri, Amsterdam/Eindhoven (Stedelijk Museum/Stedelijk Van Abbe Museum) 1976.
Hans Bouma (tekst), Zomaar in een sloot ergens bij Edam, Bussum (Van Holkema & Warendorf) 1977.
Ed van der Elsken. Het moment. Foto’s met commentaar, genoteerd door Max Pam, in De Revisor & (december 1979) 6, omslag, p. 32-39.
Lente in de polder, in Margriet (21 maart 1980) 12, omslag, p. 18-23.
Vervloekt die Hmongs, in Zero 2 (juni/juli 1980) 4, p. 32-49 (met foto’s).
Ze vermoorden de Hmongs! Gifgas. De atoombom van de arme landen, in Zero 2 (juni/juli 1980) 4, p. 50-55.
Mijn jonge jaren in Parijs, in Zero 2 (oktober 1980) 6, p.54-65 (met foto’s).
Autografie, in Zero 3 (maart 1981) 1, p. 92-93 (met foto’s).
Welkom in het leven, lieve kleine (bis), in VPRO (gids) (23 t/m 29 januari 1982) 4, p. 12.
Fotografie Ed van der Elsken, in Capi-Lux Vakinformatie juni 1982, p. 11.
Elsken: Paris 1950-1954, Tokio (Libroport Co. Ltd.) 1985.
Catalogus tent. San-jeruman-de-pure no koi (L’amour a Saint des Prés), Tokio 1986.
Japan, geen mysterie, een puzzel, in Vrij Nederland- Bijvoegsel (9 januari 1988) 1, omslag, p. 12-26 (met foto’s).
Op straat in Zuid-Korea. Het (foto)dagboek van Ed van der Elsken, in Vrij Nederland-Bijvoegsel (17 september 1988) 37, p. 10-19 (niet foto’s).
Nogmaals op straat in Zuid-Korea, in Vrij Nederland- Bijvoegsel (24 september 1988) 38, p. 17.
Dat bedenkt geen schrijver, in NRC Handelsblad 30 december 1988.
Natlab, Eindhoven (Philips Natuurkundig Laboratorium) 1989.
Afrika, Tokio (Libroport Co. Ltd.) 1990.
in Avenue:
Cuba, (december 1967) 12, p. 119-138 (met foto’s).
Djerba, (januari 1968) 1, p. 94-109 (met foto’s).
Zuid-Afrika, (juni 1968) 6, omslag, p. 110-129, 149 (met foto’s).
Hugo Claus en Ed van der Elsken, Suite Flamande, (oktober 1968) 10, omslag, p. 72-90 (met foto’s).
Madagascar het grote ei-land, (april 1969) 4, p. 191-201 (met foto’s).
Ed van der Elsken en A. de Swaan, New York City. Nu het nog tijd is, (mei 1969) 5, p. 116-121 (met foto’s).
Sport. Aan de grenzen van de kracht, (juni 1969) 6, p. 152-167 (met foto’s).
Ed van der Elsken en Aad van der Mijn, Portugal, (oktober 1969) 10, omslag, p. 136-158 (met foto’s).
Ski. Lange, platte, houten sneeuwschaats, aan de voorkant een weinig gebogen, (december 1969) 12, p. 138-149 (met foto’s).
Ed van der Elsken en Peter van Oss, Schiphol waar een wereld neerkomt, (februari 1970) 2, omslag, p.96-109 (met foto’s).
Aad van der Mijn en Ed van der Elsken, Van grote platte plaats naar grote platte plaats en verder, (april 1970) 4, omslag, p.60-73 (met foto’s).
Dick Hillenius en Ed van der Elsken, Onze rijksgenoten de Akoerio’s. Nieuws uit de steentijd, (juni 1970) 6, omslag, p. 112-137 (met foto’s).
Ed van der Elsken en Nico Scheepmaker, Moskou, (november 1970) 11, p. 104-121 (met foto’s).
Ed van der Elsken en Hugo Claus, Tanzania. Wieg van het socialisme in Afrika, (december 1970) 12, p. 50-67, 69, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83, 85 (met foto’s).
Ed van der Elsken en Frits Oppenoorth, Wat is Psychopolis?, (februari 1971) 2, p. 60-66 (met foto’s).
Leve Chili verdomme, (maart 1972) 3, omslag, p. 55-73 (met foto’s).
Ed van der Elsken en Anke Brusse, Londen adelt alle rages, (juli 1972) 7, p. 68-77 (met foto’s).
Hoe doen zij dat op reis? Maanschieten en vliegtuigje kapen, (januari 1974) 1, p.9.
We gaan naar Hong Kong, (februari 1974) 2, p.98-109 (met foto’s).
Wie is er bang voor Tsjang Kai-Tsjek, (juni 1974) 6, p. 52-66 (met foto’s).
Boerenlust en leven, (september 1974) 9, p. 46-55 (met foto’s).
Bangladesh, (juni 1975) 6, p. 108-114 (met foto’s).
Marseille Marseillais Marseillaise, (juli 1975) 7, p. 28-37 (met foto’s).
Vissen voor je brood, (februari 1976) 2, p. 54-59 (met foto’s).
Pathos in Japan, (juli 1976) 7, p. 96-103 (met foto’s).
Had ik maar het delicate van de olifant, (maart 1977) 3, p. 3, 126-135 (met foto’s).
Ed van der Elsken en Anneke Hilhorst, Polen, gevangenen in eigen huis, (februari 1979) 2, p.66-77 (met foto’s).
Philip Mechanicus (tekst), De straten van Amsterdam. Ed van der Elsken fotografeert, (augustus 1979) 8, p. 3, 76-91 (met foto’s).
Marilyn in meervoud, (augustus 1982) 8, p.48-53 (met foto’s).
(reisverhalen) in De Katholieke Illustratie:
(1959) 39, p. 16-17.
(1959) 40, p. 44-45.
(1959) 45, p. 46-47.
(1959) 48, p. 38-39.
(1959) 51, p. 26-27.
(1960) 8, p. 27-29.
(1960) 9, p-24-27.
(1960) 10, p. 4-6.
(1960) 13, p. 34-36.
(1960) 16, p. 4-6.
(1960) 19, p. 24-26.
(1960) 24, p. 28-30.
(1960) 28, p. 12-14.
(1960) 32, p. 30-32.
(1960) 35, p. 14-17.
(1960) 46, p. 33-35.
(1960) 51, p. 38-41.
Bart Middelburg (tekst), Ed van der Elsken (foto), Eds Amsterdam, in Het Parool: Procédé, 16 juni 1983.
Sparen, 29 juni 1983, p. 1.
Salade, 14 juli 1983.
Meneer De Vries, 16 juli 1983.
Puzelen, 21 juli 1983.
Lachen, 23 juli 1983.
Service!?, 28 juli 1983, p. 4.
Orde, 9 augustus 1983, p.5.
Durven, 17 augustus 1983.
De leukste, 25 augustus 1983.
Posterioriteiten, 23 september 1983, p. 5.
Uitzonderingen, 24 september 1983, p.5.
Logeren, 30 september 1983, p. 5.
Rompslomp, 1 oktober 1983.
images in:
Le Parisien 31 mei 1951.
Radar 10 juni 1951.
La vie catholique illustrée 6 juli 1952, omslag.
Illustrierte Berliner Zeitung 17 augustus 1952.
De Zondagsvriend 25 september 1952.
Billed Bladet 16 december 1952.
H. de Vries, H. Redeker en P. Klaassen (red.), De ramp, Amsterdam (Vereeniging ter Bevordering van de Belangen des Boekhandels) 1953, p. 35, 60, 71, 78, 82, 85.
The New York Times 26 juli 1953.
Revue 21 november 1953
Camera januari 1954 (omslag).
De Groene Amsterdammer 13 februari 1954.
Wereldkroniek 25 september 1954.
Wereldkroniek 2 oktober 1954.
Wereldkroniek 9 oktober 1954.
Wereldkroniek 15 oktober 1954.
Vrij Nederland 20 november 1954.
Catalogus tent. The Family of Man, New York (Museum of Modern Art) 1955.
Photography Year Book 1955, p . 7 1 , 168.
Grafia 24 maart 1955, omslag.
Chicago Daily Tribune 10 juni 1955.
De Groene Amsterdammer 11 juni 1955.
Het Vrije Volk 20 juni 1955.
Vrij Nederland 24 december 1955.
Vrij Nederland 31 maart 1956.
Deutsche Zeitung und Wirtschaftszeitung 10 november 1956.
Schwäbische Landeszeitung 10 november 1956.
PS. Wekelijks bijvoegsel van het Parool 24 november 1956.
Welt am Sonntag 2 december 1956.
Pol Kleijn, Uit de lik geklapt, Amsterdam (De Bezige Bij) 1957, omslag.
Catalogus tent. Fotografie als uitdrukkingsmiddel, Eindhoven/Arnhem (Stedelijk Van Abbe-Museum/Gemeente-museum) 1957/1958.
Neue Illustrierte 12 april 1958.
Paul Rodenko en G.S.K. Blaauw, Vuur aan zee, IJmuiden (Hoogovens) 1958, p. 16-17, 26, 28, 32, 35-37, 50, 60-61, 71, 74-75, 79.
Photography Year Book 1959, p. 2-3, 194.
MD. Medical Newsmagazine maart 1959.
Die Zeit maart 1959.
Stuttgarter Nachrichten 26 maart 1959.
Twen 1 1960, omslag, p. 49-50, 52-53.
Taboe (1961) 2, p. 60, 63-64.
Taboe (1961) 3, p. 44-45, 47.
Bibeb (tekst), Dans theater, Utrecht (Bruna & Zoon) 1961, afb. 1-48 (serie: Zwarte Beertjes 258/259).
Jan Vrijman, De werkelijkheid van Karel Appel, Amsterdam (De Bezige Bij) 1962 (serie: Geïllustreerde Reuzenpocket 6).
Photography Year Book 1962, pl. 28-32, p. 199.
Museumjournaal 8 (april/mei 1963) 8/9, p. 245-246.
Han de Vries (samenstelling en vormgeving), Foto grafie, in Drukkersweekblad en Autolijn (1963) 52 (Kerstnummer), p. 52- 54.
Photography Year Book 1963, pl. 91.
The Times 5 december 1964.
(reclame voor bier), in Algemeen Handelsblad 8 november 1965.
(reclame voor bier), in Algemeen Handelsblad 29 november 1965.
(reclame voor bier), in Algemeen Handelsblad 13 december 1965.
(reclame voor bier), in Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant 3 januari 1966.
(reclame voor bier), in Algemeen Handelsblad 17 januari 1966 (idem in Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant).
(reclame voor bier), in Algemeen Handelsblad 31 januari 1966 (idem in Haagsche Courant en Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant).
(reclame voor bier), in Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant 14 februari 1966.
(reclame voor bier), in Haagsche Courant 28 februari 1966.
(reclame voor bier), in Haagsche Courant 14 maart 1966.
(reclame voor bier), in Haagsche Courant 28 maart 1966.
(reclame voor bier), in Algemeen Handelsblad 12 april 1966 (idem in Haagsche Courant).
Theater Jaarboek (1966/67) 16.
A. de Swaan, Amerika in termijnen. Een ademloos verslag uit de USA, Amsterdam (Polak & Van Gennep) 1967, na p. 8, na p. 40, na p. 72, na p. 136, na p. 168.
Revue 7 oktober 1967.
Camera Mainichi (1975) 2.
Fons Elders, Lucht water vuur aarde, Bentveld-Aerdenhout (Landshoff) 1977, p. 6, 8-12, 22-23, 27, 39-39, 55, 58-59, 67, 74, 76, 80, 89.
Margriet (20 oktober 1978) 42.
Evert Werkman, Waterlooplein, Amsterdam/Brussel (Elsevier) 1979.
Catalogus tent. Het Portret door 35 Nederlandse fotografen, Amsterdam (Canon Photo Gallery) 1980.
Zero 1 (april 1980) 2, p. 33, 37.
Margriet (29 mei 1981) 22, p. 90.
(Folder) De omroep in Nederland. Foto opdracht, Amsterdam (Rijksmuseum) 1982.
Catalogus tent. Sandberg. Typograaf en museumman, Amersfoort (De Zonnehof) 1982.
ANWB Kampioen januari 1983, p. 56.
NRC Handelsblad 4 januari 1984, Supplement, p. 3.
Holland Herald 19 (1984) 8, omslag, p. 3, 34-39.
Man 13 (1985) 5, p. 24-27, 29, 30-31.
Wim Koehler en Siemon Smid (red.), De kenniseconomie van Japan. Wetenschap en industrie voor de 21e eeuw, Hoogezand (Stubeg) z.j. (1986).
Trouw 5 juli 1986.
Vrij Nederland 20 december 1986.
Foto & Doka (januari 1987) 1, p. 91 (reclame voor Agfa).
Perspektief (juni 1987) 28/29, p. 40-41.
De Volkskrant 9 september 1989.
De Volkskrant 23 september 1989.
Jan Blokker, De kwadratuur van de kwattareep. Zestig jaar collectieve propaganda voor het Nederlandse boek, Amsterdam (CPNB) 1990, p. 127-128, 178-179, 191.
Catalogus tent. Op reportage. 25 jaar Avenue-reisfotografie, Amsterdam/Den Haag (Focus/SDU) 1990, p. 11, 14-15, 24-25, 32.
Mirador 26 april 1990.
Vrij Nederland-Bijvoegsel (7 juli 1990) 27, p. 9.
Karin van Gilst, Tiny Poppe en Andrea Tafoya (produktie), Top 40 van de Nederlandse fotografie, in Nieuwe Revu (2-9 augustus 1990) 32, bijlage, p. 1, 8, 10, 13, 21.
De Volkskrant 5 januari 1991, Het Vervolg, p. 9.
in Avenue:
(juli 1969) 7, p.24, 27, 29, 31.
(november 1969) 11, omslag, p. 66-67.
(december 1969) 12, p. 84-87.
(mei 1970) 5, p. 124-131.
(juli 1970) 7, omslag, p. 96-98, 100-101, 103.
(augustus 1970) 8, p. 10-15.
(september 1970) 9, p. 76-79, 152, 154-155, 157.
(september 1971) 9, omslag, p. 34-37, 39-40, 42, 44.
(september 1975) 9, p. 176, 178-181.
(juni 1976) 6, p. 38-40.
in Het Parool:
14juni 1951.
28 maart 1952.
30 oktober 1953.
13 november 1953.
27 november 1953.
24 februari 1955.
26 maart 1955.
27 april 1955.
3 maart 1956,
2 januari 1957.
7 mei 1957.
11 juli 1957.
2 januari 1958.
17 maart 1958.
25 april 1958.
12 juli 1958.
27 november 1958.
7 februari 1961.
8 februari 1961.
9 februari 1961.
10 februari 1961.
Secondary bibliography
Jacob Deschin, European pictures, in The New York Times 31 mei 1953.
Auteur onbekend, Foto’s over de grenzen, in De Telegraaf 25 juni 1953.
Auteur onbekend, Europese fotokunst in New Yorks museum, in Het Parool 1 augustus 1953.
Jan Vrijman, Andere foto’s, in Vrij Nederland 27 februari 1954.
D.B. (= Dick Boer), Noot van de redactie onder artikel van Van der Elsken, in Focus 39 (26 juni 1954) 13, p. 324-325.
G.A.W. W. e.a., Van der Elsken over Nederlandse fotografie. Reacties op het artikel over deze Nederlandse fotograaf in Parijs, verschenen in Focus nr 13 van dit jaar, in Focus 38 (4 september 1954) 18, p. 454-455.
R-r, Ed van der Elsken exposeert in Chicago. Veel waardering in de pers, in Het Parool 11 juni 1955.
Auteur onbekend, As we see it, in This week in Chicago 18 juni 1955.
Kenneth Shopen, Camera catches tragedy, gayety of Parisian Bohemia, in Chicago Dailey News 24 juni 1955.
Auteur onbekend, Photos catch Paris life, in Minneapolis Daily Tribune 17 juli 1955.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken exposeert in Hilversum, in Het Parool 19 april 1956.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken exposeert collectie markante foto’s, in Gooi- en Eemlander 21 april 1956.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken exposeert zijn werk in Hilversum, in Het Parool 23 april 1956.
W.K. van Loon, Vivisectie met de camera. Ed van der Elsken boort in de mens, in Het Vrije Volk 24 april 1956.
C.A.S., Fotografie van een felle expressie, in Nieuw Utrechts Dagblad 28 april 1956.
Kees Fens, Ed van der Elsken, in De Linie 19 mei 1956.
El, Kinder der Nacht, in Frankfurter Rundschau 10 november 1956.
Heinz Ohff, Photographische Poesie, in Bücher Kommentare 15 november 1956.
B., Schwarzbuch der Liebe, in Weser-Kurier 15 november 1956.
Auteur onbekend, Jugend im Schatten einer grosser Stadt, in Neue Ruhr-Zeitung 17 november 1956.
Auteur onbekend, Jugend im Schatten einer grossen Stadt, in AZ Saarbrücker Allgemeine Zeitung 24 november 1956.
G.H.M. van Huet, De bloemen van het Boze, in Haagsche Post 24 november 1965.
Ernst von Glasersfeld, Unter dem Christbaum 1956, in Der Standpunkt 30 november 1956.
Auteur onbekend, Liebe in Saint Germain des Prés, in Frankfurter Neue Presse 1 december 1956.
Auteur onbekend, Liebe in Saint Germain des Prés, in Der Tagesspiegel (Berlijn) 2 december 1956.
Christian Ferber, Liebe in Saint-Germaindes- Prés. Ein neues Fotobuch – entsetzlich, aber schön, in Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger 8 december 1956.
Friedrich Luft, Photographische Novellistik, in Süddeutsche Zeitung 8 december 1956.
Karl Bachler, Schwarzbuch der Liebe, in Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung 8/9 december 1956.
Mea Blazer-Dekker e.a., ‘Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint- Germain-des-Prés’. Verschil van mening over schokkend Parijs foto-boek, in Vrij Nederland 15 december 1956, p. 5.
Peter Pollack, The picture history of photography, from the earliest beginnings to the present day, New York (Harry N. Abrams) 1958, p.470-479 (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Met de camera op jacht in donker Afrika, in Het Parool 28 februari 1958 (met foto’s).
Theo Ramaker, Op jacht in de jungle met geweer en camera, in Het Parool 5 april 1958 (met foto’s).
V.d. Kraan, Bagara, in Vrij Nederland 16 augustus 1958.
Peter Hunter, The GKf. A federation of photographers in Amsterdam, in Photography oktober 1958, p. 27, 61.
Auteur onbekend, Bagara. Fotografische visie op Equatoriaal Afrika, in Haagse Couran 4 oktober 1958.
H. Croesen, Ed van der Elsken toont in ‘Bagara’ fotografisch natuurtalent, in Algemeen Dagblad 11 oktober 1958.
Auteur onbekend, ‘Bagara’: nieuw fotoboek, in Rotterdams Nieuwsblad 17 oktober 1958.
Kees Fens, Bagara. Een fotoboek uit equatoriaal Afrika door Ed van der Elsken, in De Linie 25 oktober 1958.
Auteur onbekend, Bagara, in Rotterdams Parool 15 november 1958.
R. Nieman, Afrika in foto’s, in Elsevier 22 november 1958.
Auteur onbekend, Bagara, in De Zondagsvriend 18 december 1958.
Auteur onbekend, Pragstuk vir sy prys, in Die Bijvoegsel tot die Burger 20 december 1958.
Jan Vrijman (tekst), Ed van der Elsken, Schiedam/Breda (Stedelijk Museum/Cultureel Centrum ‘De Beyerd’) 1959 (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Van der Elsken: Bagara, in Haagse Post 3 t/m 10 januari 1959.
Mendl Jacobs, Startling pictures of Africa, in Cape Times 7 januari 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Dramatiese prente oor Afrika, in Die Transvaler 14 januari 1959.
J.M.S., Fotografiese kuns gesien in sy diepste wese, in Die Grenswag 23 januari 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Bagara, in Big Game 28 januari 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Bagara by Ed van der Elsken, in The Chronicle Bulawayo 30 januari 1959.
Auteur onbekend, „Bagara”: beweging in dynamische foto’s, in Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant 5 maart 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Foto-expositie van Ed van der Elsken, in Nieuwe Schiedamse Courant. 25 maart 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Artistieke foto-expositie geopend in het museum, in Rotterdams Nieuwsblad 25 maart 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Museum exposeert boeiende foto’s van Ed van der Elsken, in De Schiedammer 25 maart 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Fototentoonstelling van Van der Elsken geopend, in Trouw 25 maart 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Museumaula stampvol bij opening expositie, in Het Vrije Volk 25 maart 1959.
J.L., Mensen in hun activiteit betrapt, in Nieuwe Schiedamse Courant 4 april 1959.
L.W.S., Ed v.d. Elsken leeft om te fotograferen, in De Schiedammer 11 april 1959.
Piet Begeer, Prachtige foto’s van Ed van der Elsken, in Het Vrije Volk 15 april 1959.
R. Nieman, Reizen om te fotograferen, in Elsevier 18 april 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Der schwarze Kontinent…, in Süddeutsche Zeitung 25 april 1959.
Cs, Bilder aus Afrika, in Stuttgarter Zeitung 29 april 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken – leven om te fotograferen, in Nieuwe Rotterdamse Courant 13 mei 1959.
I.K., Das echte Afrika, in Telegraf (Berlijn) 24 mei 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Bagara, in Het Vaderland 13 juni 1959.
R. Nieman, Het inferno van de Jazz. Nieuw fotoboek van Ed van der Elsken, in Elseviers Weekblad 11 juli 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Jazz, in De Bussumse Courant 6 oktober 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Jazz. Een nieuw fotoboek van Ed van der Elsken, in Vooruit 8 oktober 1959.
K.F., Jazz, ‘va De Linie 17 oktober 1958, p. 1, 7.
Auteur onbekend, Mensen in de jazz, in Nieuw Utrechts Dagblad 24 oktober 1959.
Dirk L. Broeder, Jazz. Een bijdrage tot onderlinge begrip, in Het Journaal 14 (november 1959) 2.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken fotografeerde in Concertgebouw jazz, in Algemeen Handelsblad 2 november 1959.
T. de J., Ed van der Elsken kiekt jazz, in Het Vrije Volk 3 november 1959.
Vk, De indiscretie van de momentopname. Ed van der Elsken fotografeerde de Jazz, in De Groene Amsterdammer 7 november 1959.
Auteur onbekend, Van der Elsken, in Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant 7 november 1959.
J.D. de Jong, Eerste verzameling in Europa foto’s ‘an sich’. Foto-expositie Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, in Friese Koerier 19 november 1960.
L. Fritz Gruber (samenstelling), Grosse Photographen unseres Jahrhunderts, Düsseldorf/Wenen (Econ) 1964, p. 198-201 (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Lieve kleine, in Nieuwe Rotterdammer 16 januari 1964.
Henk Enkelaar, Ed van der Elsken. ‘Ik heb nu m’n draai gevonden’, in De Nieuwe Linie 25 januari 1964, p. 1, 12- 13.
Hans Moltzer, Wantrouwen tegen reclame nog groot. Nederlander laat zich liever door cijfers dan door verbeeldingskracht overtuigen, in Haagsche Courant 9 juli 1966.
Hans Moltzer, Het wantrouwen tegen de reclamewereld, in Leidsch Dagblad 9 juli 1966.
Auteur onbekend, Foto-expositie van Ed van der Elsken, in Haagsche Courant 10 september 1966.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken: ‘Een frustrerend bestaan’, in Haagsche Post 10 september 1966.
P.L. van der Vliet, Ed van der Elsken: ‘Hee, zie je dat?’, in De Volkskrant 10 september 1966.
Auteur onbekend, Foto’s in Stedelijk. Ed van der Elsken met zijn camera op ontdekkingstocht: ‘Hee…zieje dat?’, in Het Parool 14 september 1966.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken neemt afscheid, ‘Hee, zie je dat?’ Orgie van beelden, in Het Centrum 20 september 1966.
Auteur onbekend, ‘Hé, zie je dat?’ Een orgie van beelden. Ed van der Elsken houd afscheidsexpositie, in Het Binnenhof 21 september 1966.
Auteur onbekend, Beeldige Petra op papier, in De Volkskrant 22 september 1966.
Ben Kroon, Ed van der Elskens foto’s ten afscheid, in De Tijd 24 september 1966.
Auteur onbekend, Ed v.d. Elsken met werk op Expo’67, in Het Vaderland 17 oktober 1966, p. 6.
Aad van der Mijn, Ed v.d. Elsken: Moet je nou eens kijken, zeg!, in Het Parool 29 oktober 1966.
W.J., Kennedy-moord, Picasso en Multatuli in weekend-documentaires, in Het Parool 6 maart 1967.
Hanneke Meerum Terwogt, Vrouwen van Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Foton) 1970, ongepag. (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Ed v.d. Elsken staatsprijs filmkunst, in Het Vaderland 5 oktober 1971.
Henk Schaaf, ‘Als ze me de kans geven, word ik ‘s werelds eerste video-columnist!’, in Noordhollands Dagblad 7 oktober 1971.
Ko Boos, Ed van der Elsken en de massale jacht-slachtpartij in Warder: Ziedende cineast schoot bij Moordenaarsbraak foto’s van fauna-vijanden, in Noordhollands Dagblad 7 oktober 1971.
Wim Kuipers, Ed van der Elsken cursiefjesschrijver in filmbeelden, in Eindhovens Dagblad 16 oktober 1971.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken: Het gaat gewoon om toffe meiden, in Eva 22 september 1972, p. 58-63 (met foto’s).
Joost van den Hoof, Ed van der Elsken, in Het Vrije Volk 21 februari 1975.
Auteur onbekend, Den Uyl schrikt van gevecht bij foto-prijsuitreiking, in Nieuwsblad van het Noorden 17 april 1975.
Auteur onbekend, Op de vuist onder het oog van Den Uyl, in Het Vaderland 17 april 1975.
Auteur onbekend, Kaakslag bij prijsuitreiking, in Het Vrije Volk 17 april 1975.
Hanny van den Horst, Memo hoofdredaktie, in Margriet (24 mei 1975) 21, p. 2.
Auteur onbekend, Amsterdamse opdrachten, in Cosa 26 (juni 1975) 3.
Auteur onbekend, Hier is: Ed van der Elsken, in Televizier (24 juni 1976) 24.
Bas Roodnat, De beste fotograaf van Edam. Ed van der Elsken over zijn werken en leven. Interview, in NRC Handelsblad 26 juni 1976.
Auteur onbekend, Van der Elsken maakt ‘vesting’, in Het Parool 12 oktober 1976.
Catalogus tent. Eye Love You, Bussum (Van Holkema en Warendorf) 1977.
Catalogus tent. Foto’s voor de stad. Amsterdamse documentaire foto-opdrachten 1971-1976, Amsterdam (Amsterdams Historisch Museum) 1977.
Bas Roodnat, Van der Elsken maakt zo mooi mogelijk fotoboek, in NRC Handelsblad 29 maart 1977.
Anna Beeke, Ed van der Elsken: ‘Matisse en Van Gogh? Aardige collega’s’, in Hollands Diep 3 (9 april 1977) 7, p. 30-33.
Auteur onbekend, ‘Eye love you’: Het mensenboek van fotograaf Ed van der Elsken, in Nieuwe Apeldoornse Courant 23 april 1977.
Els Barents (red.), Fotografie in Nederland 1940-1975, Den Haag (Staatsuitgeverij) 1978, p. 22, 26-30, 32-33, 60-61, 113, 116, 118, 120-124, 126 (met foto’s), losse biografie.
Els Barents en Evert Rodrigo (samenstelling), Fotografie in Nederland 1940/75, in Stedelijk Museum (22 december 1978 – 4 februari 1979) extra bulletin.
Forum Audio-visueel. Programma Forum 79, Middelburg (Kultureel Centrum Kuiperspoort) 1979.
Willem K. Coumans, Fotografie in Nederland ouderwets en onvolledig, in Foto 34 (maart 1979) 3, p. 36-41.
Wouter Klootwijk, Een tijdperk. Uit het archief van Ed van der Elsken, in De Volkskrant 31 maart 1979, p. 35 (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Van der Elsken’s Amsterdam in Historisch Museum, in Haarlems Weekblad 4 april 1979.
Mathilde Visser, Over Ed van der Elsken’s Amsterdam, Jean Ruiter en andere foto’s in musea, in Het Financieele Dagblad 20 april 1979
Cees Veltman, Fotograaf Ed van der Elsken: Ik raad ieder jong mens aan weg te gaan uit Nederland, in Hervormd Nederland 12 mei 1979, p. 3-4.
A. Kuiper, De jaren zestig. Overgang naar nieuw levenspatroon in Nederland, in Magazijn (oktober 1979) 82.
Auteur onbekend, Stadsjongen filmde beestjes in polder. Van der Elsken verbaast zich over natuur, in Algemeen Dagblad 28 maart 1980.
Harry Hosman, Ed van der Elsken. Ik ben een enorme blitskikker, in VPRO (gids) (29 maart-5 april 1980) 13, p. 3-6.
Auteur onbekend, Avonturen op het land. Ed van der Elsken fotografeert thuis, in Avenue (april 1980) 4, p. 156-157 (met foto’s).
José van Breukelen, Ed van der Elsken zet nood in de wereld op de foto, in Het Binnenhof 3 mei 1980.
Aad Flapper, Portretfoto’s vol afwisseling. Expositie : Van ‘totaal oninteressant’ tot ‘hoog niveau’, in Het Parool 15 juli 1980.
Janny Poley, Ed van der Elsken, in Perspektief (maart 1981) 6, p.8-13 (met foto’s).
Ben Haveman, ‘Ah bon, ik ben een broodvechtertje’, in De Volkskrant 30 maart 1981.
B.V. (= Bas Vroege), Parijs!, in Perspektief (mei 1981) 7, p. 28.
Bas Roodnat, Vier jaar Parijs. Fotoboek van Ed van der Elsken, in NRC Handelsblad 1 mei 1981.
Willem K. Coumans, Toen Ed van der Elsken de wereld ontdekte. Parijs 1950-1954, in Foto 36 (juni 1981) 6, p. 54-55 (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Qbus brengt ‘portretfotografie’ als expositie, in Weekblad voor de Bollenstreek 10 juni 1981.
Auteur onbekend, Zwart/witte beelden van Amsterdam. Documentaire fotografie in Museum Fodor, in Haarlems Dagblad 17 juni 1981.
Marleen Kox, Verslag onderzoek fotoarchieven. (Samengesteld in opdracht van de Stichting Nederlands Foto-Archief), Amsterdam, juli 1981.
Kees Van Beijnum, ‘Ik heb nog zoveel te vertellen’. Kees van Beijnum in gesprek met Ed van der Elsken, in Foto 36 (juli 1981) 7, p. 54-60 (met foto’s).
Carole Naggar, Dictionnaire des photographes, Parijs (Seuil) 1982, p. 399-400.
Ingeborg Th. Leijerzapf, Niederlande: Die Emanzipation der kreativen Fotografie nach 1945, in Andreas Muller-Pohle (samenstelling), Fotografie in Europa heute, Keulen (DuMont) 1982, (dumont foto 4), p. 54-57.
EB (= Els Barents), Veranderingen in de fotojournalistiek 1960-’80, in Stedelijk Museum 9 april t/m 11 juli 1982, p. 43- 44.
Bas Roodnat, Een brandpunt van non-conformisme. Amsterdam gefilmd door Ed van der Elsken, in NRC Handelsblad 24 september 1982.
Michel Szulc Krzyzanowski, Fotografie. Een blamage voor het Stedelijk Museum, in Zero 4 (oktober 1982) 6, p. 99.
Anneke Hilhorst, Dagboek van een beginneling, Amsterdam (Bert Bakker) 1983 (met foto’s).
Bart Middelburg, Ed van der Elsken: ‘Bereisde Roel back home, in Het Parool 15 juni 1983, p. 13.
John Jansen van Galen, Een off-beat fotodier, in Haagse Post 3 september 1983, p. 80.
EB (= Els Barents), Ed van der Elsken. Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés, in Stedelijk Museum 25 november 1983 t/m 8 januari 1984, p. 145-146 (met foto’s).
Bas Roodnat, Van der Elskens foto’s van vroeger, in NRC Handelsblad 5 december 1983.
Catalogus tent. Zien en gezien worden. Fotografische zelfbespiegeling in Nederland van ca. 1840 tot heden, Nijmegen (Nijmeegs Museum ‘Commanderie van Sint-Jan’) 1983, p. 85.
Auteur onbekend, Nieuwe foto’s op expositie en in boek Ed v.d. Elsken. Op snorfiets door Amsterdamse binnenstad, in Leidsch Dagblad 9 maart 1984.
Ellen Kok, Ed van der Elsken. Nieuw Amsterdamboek, in Foto 39 (juni 1984) 6, p. 62-65 (met foto’s).
TH (=Ton Hendriks), Amsterdam?, in Perspektief (juli/september 1984) 17, p.40.
Remco Campert (inl.), Amsterdam 1950-1959 20 fotografen, Amsterdam (Fragment) 1985, ongepag., afb. 24, 40, 58, 60.
Auteur onbekend, Subsidie musea, in Leidsch Dagblad 7 maart 1985.
Rolf Bos, Ook beroemd?, in De Volkskrant 6 april 1985.
Auteur onbekend, Tentoonstelling: Amsterdam 1950-1959, in Technisch Nieuws oktober 1985.
Pauline Terreehorst, Boerenkaas-realisme en grootsteedse grandeur. Gemeentearchief Amsterdam boort met fotocollectie goudmijn aan, in De Volkskrant 12 oktober 1985.
K.M., Het Nederlandse fotoboek, in Catalogus tent. Foto ’86, Den Haag (Staatsuitgeverij) 1986, p. 79-82.
Reinhold Misselbeck, Sammlung Gruber. Photographie des 20. Jahrhunderts, Keulen (Museum Ludwig) z.j. (ca. 1986), 2de dr., p. 53, 238-239.
Jolan Douwes, Ed van der Elsken. Mensen van dertien in een dozijn fotografeer ik niet, in Trouw 7 maart 1987.
Auteur onbekend, Beurzen/tentoonstellingen, in De Volkskrant 7 maart 1987.
Sjak Jansen, Fotograaf van adorabel tuig, in Algemeen Dagblad 31 maart 1987.
Jan Willem Wensink, De aardige rebellie van Ed van der Elsken, in De Purmer-Oost Waterland 31 maart 1987.
Mariëtte Haveman, Ed van der Elskens heimwee naar de jaren vijftig, in De Volkskrant 9 mei 1987.
Hripsimé Visser, Documentaire en monumentale foto-opdrachten in Nederland na 1945, in Perspektief (juni 1987) 28/29, p. 115-121.
Auteur onbekend, Roots & Turns. 20th Century photography in the Netherlands, in Dutch Heights (winter 1987/1988) 4, p. 11-17.
A. de Jongh-Vermeulen, Ed van der Elsken, in Colin Naylor (ed.), Contemporary photographers, Chicago/Londen (St. James Press) 1988, 2de dr., p. 1070-1072.
Els Barents, Ed van der Elsken, in Ingeborg Leijerzapf e.a., Roots & Turns. 20th Century photography in The Netherlands, Den Haag (SDU Publishers) 1988, p. 78-83, 169 (met foto’s).
Erik van den Berg, Een heel rauwe kwaliteit, rauw en mooi, in De Volkskrant 1 april 1988.
Bas Roodnat, Verslagen mensen en verfijnde stillevens. Foto’s in Breda van Walker Evans, Ed van der Elsken en drie Fransen, in NRC Handelsblad 14 juli 1988, p.6.
Katrien Gottlieb, Van der Elsken jaagt het leven achterna, in Het Parool 22 september 1988.
Ton Oliemuller, Ed van der Elsken en het fotografische oog, in Het Binnenhof 30 november 1988.
Auteur onbekend, Fotograaf met voorliefde voor buitenbeentjes, in Nieuwsblad 30 november 1988 (idem in Nieuwsbrief. Prins Bernhard Fonds/Anjerfonds 2 (mei 1989) 1,p.8).
Bas Roodnat, Fotograaf met voorkeur voor zelfkant van het leven, in NRC Handelsblad 30 november 1988.
Herman Keppy, Ed van der Elsken in Japan beroemd en gewaardeerd als een meester, in Focus (december 1988) 12, omslag, p.8, 38-54 (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken, in Stedelijk Museum Bulletin december 1988, p.91.
Hendrik van Delft, De andere kant van Japan, in Sleutel. De Cultuurgids voor groot Den Haag 27 (december 1988) 4, omslag, p. 3-6.
Auteur onbekend, Exposities over Turkana en het leven in Japan, in Leids Nieuwsblad 12 (1 december 1988).
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken fotografeerde Japan van binnenuit, in Leidse Courant 1 december 1988.
Els Barents (tekst en samenstelling), David Röell Prijs 1988. Ed van der Elsken, Amsterdam (Prins Bernhard Fonds) 2 december 1988 (met foto’s).
I. Sitniakowsky, De milde kijk van Ed van der Elsken. ‘De ontdekking van Japan’ kroon op het werk van 63-jarige fotograaf, in De Telegraaf 2 december 1988, p. 19.
Ellen Kok, Van der Elsken: een ‘afwijkend fotograaf, in Leidsch Dagblad 3 december 1988, p. 33.
Ellen Kok, Ed van der Elsken: eindelijk erkenning, in Utrechts Nieuwsblad/NZC 3 december 1988.
Rolf Bos, Ed van der Elskens rauwe Japan van de straat, in De Volkskrant 3 december 1988.
Ellen Kok, Ed van der Elsken. Het enige dat ik kan is mooie foto’s maken, in PZC 10 december 1988, p. 21.
Lisette Oomen, Een puzzel door Ed v.d. Elsken. ‘De ontdekking van Japan’, in Leidsch Dagblad 13 december 1988.
Johan de Vos, De nieuwe keizer van Japan is ros en heeft een stoppelbaart, in De Morgen 16 december 1988.
Bas Roodnat, Vierkante binken in Japan. Fotoboeken van Ed van der Elsken en Marrie Bot, in NRC Handelsblad 30 december 1988.
Mattie Boom. Foto in omslag. Het Nederlandse documentaire fotoboek na 1945, Amsterdam (Fragment) 1989, p. 10, 12, 27, 30-33.40, 53, 58, 70, 74-75, 77 (met foto’s).
Joop Bromet, Ed van der Elsken fotografeert de zelfkant van jaren. Fascinerende confrontatie tussen oude waarden en moderne inzichten, in Snoecks 66 (1989) 90, p. 264-281 (met foto’s).
Charles Lennartz, ‘Ik ben gewoon bestemd voor de “low society'”. Fotograaf Ed van der Elsken op zoek naar slordige kanten van de maatschappij, in De Limburger 16 september 1989.
Josephine van Bennekom, Het fotoboek als kunstwerk, in Trouw 14 december 1989.
Ingeborg Th. Leijerzapf, Ed van der Elsken, in Catalogus tent. Col.Lecció x Col.Lecció. Un recorregut per la fotografia europea, Barcelona (Fundació Caixa de Catalunya) 1990, p. 131-145 (met foto’s).
Auteur onbekend, Fotoprijs voor Van der Elsken, in Nieuws van de Dag 30 maart 1990.
Rolf Bos en Harry van Gelder, Ed van der Elsken onderscheiden voor zijn complete fotografische werk, in De Volkskrant 30 maart 1990.
Auteur onbekend, La fotografia y los museos. Primavera fotografica, in La Fotografia 15 mei 1990, p. 8.
Antonio Molinero, Escarbando en los museos europeos, in Foto Actualidad Juni 1990, p. 3-15.
Juliette Berkhout, 25 Jaar op reportage voor Avenue, in Avenue 25 (december 1990), p. 102-103, 105.
Koos van Wees, Ed van der Elsken was fotograaf van de zelfkant, in Het Binnenhof 31 december 1990.
Auteur onbekend, Ed van der Elsken, fotograaf van de zelfkant, overleden, in Helderse Courant 31 december 1990.
Bas Roodnat, Ed van der Elsken 1925-1990. Een zuivere intuïtie voor de juiste zijstraten, in NRC Handelsblad 31 december 1990.
Katrien Gottlieb, De sterfotograaf van mislukkelingen, in Het Parool 31 december 1990.
Rolf Bos, ‘Straat-fotograaf Ed van der Elsken overleden. ‘Veel beleven en overal bij en snel’. Ed van de Elsken was de eerste vrije fotograaf van Nederland, in De Volkskrant 31 december 1990.
Simon Vinkenoog, Flip Bool e.a., Ed van der Elsken (1925-1990), in NRC Handelsblad 4 januari 1991, Cultureel Supplement, p. 5 (met foto’s).
Bert Nienhuis, Afscheid van Ed van der Elsken. PS uit het hiernamaals, in Vrij Nederland (26 januari 1991) 4, p. 46-49 (met foto’s).
Wim Kayzer, Bye. Ed van der Elsken, in VPRO Gids (26januari t/m 1 februari 1991) 4, omslag, p. 1-5 (met foto’s).
Bas Roodnat, Niets verhullend afscheid van Ed van der Elsken, in NRC Handelsblad 26 januari 1991.
René de Cocq, Schuldgevoel, in Het Binnenhof 29 januari 1991.
Ton de Zeeuw, Van der Elsken, in De Telegraaf 29 januari 1991.
Auteur onbekend, Once upon a time. In memoriam Ed van der Elsken, in Focus (februari 1991) 2, p. 52-53.
Jan Willem Otten, Laat zien wie je bent. Het narcisme van Ed van der Elsken, in NRC Handelsblad 8 februari 1991.
Herman Hoeneveld, In memoriam. Ed van der Elsken, in P/F Professionele Fotografie (1991) 1, p. 40-41 (met foto’s).
Memberships
GKf, van 1949-1990.
Awards
1958 Africa Explorer’s Award voor het boek Bagara.
1960 (december) Het boek Das echte Afrika wordt op de Afrika-Buchausstellung 1960 in Wenen door de International Africa-Club bekroond als ‘Besten Bildwerk des Jahres’.
1971 Staatsprijs voor Filmkunst voor de film De Verliefde Camera (vervaardigd in opdracht van VPRO-televisie).
1988 (2 december) David Roëll Prijs (voor zijn gehele oeuvre).
1990 (29 maart) Capi-Lux Jubileum Prijs.
Exhibitions
1953 (g) Parijs, Bibliothèque Nationale.
1953 (g) Maastricht, Kunstzalen De Jong-Bergers, Nederlandse Fotografie 1953.
1953 (g) New York, Museum of Modern Art, Post-War European Photography.
1954 (g) Saarbrücken, Staatlichen Schule für Kunst und Handwerk, Subjektive Fotografie 2.
1955 (g) New York, Museum of Modern Art, The Family of Man.
1955 (e) Chicago, Art Institute, (foto’s van Saint Germain des Prés).
1955 (e) Minneapolis, Walker Art Center, (foto’s van Saint Germain des Prés).
1956 (e) Hilversum, Kantine Steendrukkerij De Jong en Co, Ed van der Elsken.
1956 (e) Rotterdam, ‘t Venster.
1957/1958 (g) Eindhoven, Stedelijk van Abbe Museum, Fotografie als uitdrukkingsmiddel (rondreizende tentoonstelling).
1958 (g) Leiden, Prentenkabinet der Rijksuniversiteit Leiden, Foto’s GKf.
1959 (e) Schiedam, Stedelijk Museum, Ed van der Elsken. Leven om te fotograferen (Projectie van kleurendia’s van een reis naar de binnenlanden van Afrika).
1959 (e) Breda, De Beyerd.
1959 (e) Groningen, Groninger Museum voor Stad en Lande, Foto ‘s Ed van der Elsken. 1959 (e) Amersfoort, De Zonnehof, Foto’s van Ed van der Elsken.
1960 (e) Nijmegen, Waag, Foto’s Ed van der Elsken.
1960 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, (foto’s uit eigen collectie).
1966 (e) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Hee… zie je dat?.
1967 (g) Montreal, The Camera as Witness (Expo’67).
1968 (e) Haarlem, De Vishal, Sweet Life.
1971 (g) Antwerpen, De Vrouw.
1973 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Groepsfoto (GKf).
1973 (g) Londen, The Photographers’ Gallery, 5 Masters of European Photography.
1977 (g) Amsterdam, Amsterdams Historisch Museum, Foto’s voor de stad.
‘977 (e) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Eye Love You.
1978 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Fotografie in Nederland 1940-1975.
1979 (e) Amsterdam, Amsterdams Historisch Museum, Van der Elsken’s Amsterdam.
1979 (g) Den Haag, Gemeentemuseum, Foto 20-40.
1979 (g) Rotterdam, Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Aktie, werkelijkheid en fictie in de kunst van de jaren zestig in Nederland.
1980 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, (GKf beroepsvereniging van fotografen).
1980 (g) Amsterdam, Canon Photo Gallery, Het Portret.
1981 (e) Amsterdam, Canon Photo Gallery, Paris of the Fifties.
1981 (g) Lisse, Qbus, Het Portret.
1981 (g) Amsterdam, Museum Fodor, De stad in zwart/wit.
1981 (e) Breda, De Beyerd, Parijs in de jaren vijftig.
1982 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Veranderingen in de fotojoumalistiek 1960-’80.
1982/1983 (g) Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, De omroep in Nederland.
1983 (g) Amsterdam, Uitleenzaal Stichting Beeldende Kunst SBK (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 325), Fotografie in Nederland.
1983/1984 (e) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Een liefdesgeschiedenis in Saint Germain des Prés.
1984 (e) Amsterdam, Amsterdams Historisch Museum, ‘Amsterdam?’
1985 (g) Amsterdam, Gemeentearchief, Amsterdam 1950-1959 20 fotografen.
1986 (g) Amsterdam, Nieuwe Kerk, Het Fotoboek. 4 Nederlandse fotografen en Parijs (Foto’86).
1986 (e) Tokio, Printemps, L’Amour a Saint Germain des Prés.
1986 (e) Parijs, Institut Néerlandais, Une histoire d’amour a Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Mois de la Photo 1986).
1986/1987 (e) (rondreizende tentoonstelling met foto’s van Parijs en Saint Germain des Prés door Japan).
1987 (e) Amsterdam, Canon Photo Gallery, Jong Nederland.
1987 (e) Rotterdam, Canon Rotown Gallery.
1987 (g) Amsterdam, De Meervaart, Naakt voor de camera, 1840-1987.
1988 (g) Houston, Sarah Campbell Blaffer Gallery, Roots & Turns. 20th Century photography in The Netherlands.
1988 (g) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Roots & Turns. Traditie en vernieuwing van de fotografie in Nederland vanaf 1900.
1988 (g) Breda, De Beyerd, Fotografie in de zomer.
1988 (e) Amsterdam, Canon Image Centre, (tentoonstelling van fotokopieën met lay-out aanwijzingen voor het boek Nippon Datta).
1988/1989 (e) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, (tentoonstelling t.g.v. de David Roëll Prijs 1989).
1988/1989 (e) Amsterdam, Canon Image Centre, De ontdekking van Japan. Foto’s van Ed van der Elsken 1961-1988.
1988/1989 (e) Leiden, Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, De andere kant van Japan. Foto ‘s van Ed van der Elsken 1959-1960.
1989 (g) Amsterdam, De Verbeelding, (zelfportretten van Nederlandse fotografen).
1989 (e) Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten, (foto’s uit Japan).
1989/1990 (g) Amersfoort, De Zonnehof, Foto in omslag (rondreizende tentoonstelling).
1990 (g) Barcelona, Palau Robert, Col.Lecció x Col.Lecció. Un recorregut per la fotogrqfia europea.
1990/1991 (g) Amsterdam, Canon Image Centre, Op reportage – 25 jaar Avenue-reisfotografie.
1991 (e) Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum.
Most important films
1959/1960 Veertien ‘travelogues’ over de wereldreis van Ed van der Elsken en Gerda van der Veen (AVRO).
1961 Van Varen.
1962 Karel Appel componist.
1963 Welkom in het leven, lieve kleine (uitgezonden door VPRO op 15 januari 1964).
ca. 1966 Het Waterlooplein (uitgezonden door VARA op 9 maart 1967).
1970/1971 De Verliefde Camera (samen met Gerda van der Veen, uitgezonden door VPRO op 24 juni 1971).
1972 Death in the Port Jackson Hotel (uitgezonden door VPRO op 28 september 1972).
1972 Spelen Maarrr. Filmportret van Toon Hermans (uitgezonden door AVRO op 28 oktober 1972).
1976/1977 ‘Het is niet mis wat zij doen’. (Memisa-film, samen met Anneke Hilhorst, uitgezonden door AVRO op 16 januari 1978).
1979/1980 Avonturen op het land (uitgezonden door VPRO op 30 maart 1980).
1980 Meester Ed en de sprekende film (uitgezonden door VPRO in 1980).
1981 Welkom in het leven, lieve kleine (bis) (uitgezonden door VPRO op 24 januari 1982).
1982 Een fotograaf filmt Amsterdam (uitgezonden door VPRO in 1982).
1990 Bye (samen met Anneke van der Elsken, uitgezonden door VPRO op 27 januari 1991).
Television programs
1971 (8 oktober) Uit de Kunst (Ageeth Scherphuis interviewt Ed van der Elsken n.a.v. de toekenning van de Staatsprijs voor de Filmkunst) (NOS).
1972 (12 april) Leven in beeld (AVRO).
1974 (1 oktober) Hier en Nu: Bangla Desh (NCRV).
1976 (24 juni) Hier is: Ed van der Elsken (Koos Postuma in gesprek met fotograaf/filmer Ed van der Elsken) (VARA).
1984 (28 november) Nederland C: Betondorp (o.a. interview met oud-bewoner Ed van Elsken) (VPRO).
1987 (11 april) Brandpunt (reportage t.g.v. de verschijning van het boek Jong Nederland) (KRO).
1988 (30 november) Straatbeelden. Portret van Ed van der Elsken (NOS).
Sources
Edam, Ed en Anneke van der Elsken (mondelinge informatie en documentatie).
Leiden, Prentenkabinet, bibliotheek en documentatiebestand.
Collections
Amsterdam, Capi-Lux Alblas Stichting.
Amsterdam, Gemeente-archief.
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum.
Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum.
Chicago, Art Institute.
Den Haag, Rijksdienst Beeldende Kunst.
Haarlem, Stichting Nederlands Foto- & Grafisch Centrum (Spaarnestad Fotoarchief).
Kawasaki, Modern Art Museum.
Leiden, Prentenkabinet van de Rijksuniversiteit Leiden.
New York, Museum of Modern Art.
Parijs, Bibliothèque Nationale.
Rotterdam, Nederland Fotomuseum