Biography

Discussion

Henk Jonker started working at the Amsterdam civil registry on the Plantage Kerklaan in 1937. There he had access to the personal data for every citizen of Amsterdam. His activities for the Dutch resistance movement at the register began on a small scale, entailing the forging of documents such as marriage and birth certificates. After coming into contact with Gerrit van der Veen and Johan Limpers, the scope of his activities became more extensive. Jonker helped to ensure the right papers came into the possession of many of those who had gone into hiding. His specialty became the falsification of identity papers. To do so, he made use of old rubber stamps stolen by the resistance or made his own stamps bearing the necessary signatures. Together with his colleague Henk van Vliet, Jonker also delivered falsified papers at night. In mid-July 1944, Jonker went into hiding after receiving a tip that the Sicherheitsdienst (German ‘Security Service’) was planning to raid the civil registry. The actual raid took place several days later, resulting in the execution of six of Jonker’s colleagues on 4 August 1944.

From the moment he went into hiding, Jonker worked for the Persoonsbewijs Sectie (‘Identity Paper Department’) of the ‘Landelijke Organisatie voor hulp aan onderduikers’ (‘Nationwide Organisation to Assist People in Hiding’). He did his work using various resistance names, but went most frequently by ‘Gerrit Boersma’. Jonker also posed as a criminal investigator named ‘Frans Kreder’, and as a nurse, under the name of Hélène Annie Smitshuisen. While conducting resistance work from his hiding address at Vondelstraat 110, Jonker came into contact with Maria Austria, who acted as his courier and produced passport photos for the fake identity papers he was making. It was Austria who taught him the tricks of the photographic trade. By his own account, Jonker was a decent amateur photographer even prior to the war, through self-study. During the final year of the war, he shot countless numbers of photos with his Rolleiflex hidden beneath his coat, as did other photographers, including Austria and Aart Klein. These reportages, which were gathered by the writer Albert Helman (the pseudonym of Lou Lichtveld) and eventually meant to be sent on to London, have all been lost.

Directly after the war, the Particam photo agency was founded at Willemsparkweg 120 in Amsterdam. Albert Helman organised a meeting attended by a number of photographers and filmmakers. Helman’s design was for everyone to document the reconstruction of the Netherlands in photos and film with financial assistance provided by the Marshall Plan: the restoration of public transportation, the building of roads, bridges, homes, offices, etc. Of the photographers attending, four entered a working collaboration under the name of ‘Particam’: Henk Jonker, Maria Austria, Aart Klein, and Wim Zilver Rupe. Other photographers present at the meeting were Paul Huf, Lood van Bennekom, and Puck Voüte.

The Particam photographers captured a substantial part of Amsterdam’s cultural life. Their photographs were published in countless newspapers and magazines, including the Algemeen Handelsblad, Margriet, De Spiegel (‘The Mirror’), and De Katholieke Illustratie (‘The Catholic Illustration’), typically working on assignment. Because Particam—Aart Klein and Maria Austria—photographed the very first theatrical performance appearing at the Amsterdam Schouwburg (the civic theatre) after the war, it became a tradition that virtually every performance at the theatre was covered by the agency. The first stage play at the Schouwburg was Vrij Volk (‘Free People’), put on by ‘Toneelgroep 5 mei 1945’ (‘Theatrical Group 5 May 1945’), which comprised actors who had previously been part of the Dutch resistance.

Other theatrical companies for which Particam did regular work were the Dutch National opera, the Dutch National Ballet, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, and various stage and theatrical groups such as Ensemble, Toneelgroep Arena, and Theater. With some of these companies, agreements were made that performances were to be photographed exclusively by Particam photographers. Contrary to regular news photographers, Particam photographed the entire performance. From 1948 until the Maria Austria’s death in 1975, the agency photographed every performance of the annual Holland Festival. Wim Zilver Rupe was the only Particam member not working in theatrical photography. Rupe left the collective in 1953, followed by Aart Klein three years later. By this time, the name of ‘Particam’ had been changed to ‘Particam Pictures’. Jonker and Austria ran the company together until 1963; at this time, Austria continued on her own, working under the same name. Upon his departure, Jonker promised Austria he would never do any more theatrical photography. His negatives remained at the Particam archive. Following Austria’s death, Jonker sold his negatives to the Stichting Fotoarchief Maria Austria Particam (‘Maria Austria-Particam Photo Archive Foundation’). His archive comprises an estimated 100,000 negatives.

During his time at Particam Pictures, Henk Jonker made countless reportages covering an extremely wide range of topics. At the end of May 1945, he photographed the exhumation of those executed at Overveen. (Ad Windig was given the same assignment for the exhumations at the Leusderhei). A number of Jonker’s images from the series he shot in Ireland in 1950, when accompanied by the journalist Bram van Echt, were sold to the magazines De Katholieke Illustratie and De Spiegel. For the latter publication, Jonker also photographed numerous cities and villages in the Netherlands during the period of post-war reconstruction, including Heerlen, Doorn, Brielle, Nieuwpoort, Delfzijl, Sleen, Grouw, Kerkrade, Aalsmeer, and Middenmeer.

Jonker also did freelance work for Life magazine: photos of the flooding disaster in Zeeland in 1953; photos of children who had posed as models for Cas Oorthuys’ 1951 children’s postage stamps; and photos of a wedding in the ‘Jordaan’ neighbourhood of Amsterdam in 1953.

From the late 1940s up until the time he left Particam Pictures, Jonker often did work for the Algemeen Handelsblad. This newspaper, which appeared twice daily, devoted a half-page to photo series by different photographers on a weekly basis. The themes for these photo series—devised by the newspaper’s editorial department or the photographers themselves—were varied: ‘This is Amsterdam Too’; ‘Minister Luns’ Arrival at Schiphol [Airport]’; ‘Just a Minute for a Cup of Coffee’; ‘Revitalising Drowned Land (Zeeland)’; ‘Spring in Amsterdam’; ‘The School Dentist’; ‘Laughing People on the Street’; ‘Children of the Jordaan’; and the exhibition Bewogen Beweging (‘Moving Movement’), held at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

When making his reportages, Jonker worked with a strategic plan. He first asked himself in advance what it was he wanted to depict. Like the other members of the GKf (Gebonden Kunsten Federatie, vakgroep fotografie, ‘United Arts Federation, Department of Photography’), including Carel Blazer, Jonker viewed photography as an applied art. As was stated in their exhibition catalogue of Foto ’48, the GKf photographers—including Jonker, who became a member in 1948—maintained that reportage photography fulfilled a functional role, with assignments being critically important. The social engagement of the first generation of GKf photographers was tremendous. Within this context, they chiefly favoured reportage photography. Jonker, by contrast, says his social engagement was never a conscious decision. The choice of reportage photography over news photography was because it allowed him to better express his own creativity.

Jonker received regular assignments for making (corporate) reportages on behalf of companies such as ‘Louwman en Parqui’ (the Dutch auto import dealer for e.g. Alfa Romeo), the Stichting voor het Kind (‘Foundation of the Child’), American Overseas Airlines, and Philips. These reportages were used for annual reports, calendars, and books.

Jonker did photographic work for Louwman en Parqui, including exhibitions at the RAI (Amsterdam’s main convention centre). On behalf of American Overseas Airlines, he photographed the arrivals and departures of international celebrities. For Philips, he photographed people from the music world, including Benny Goodman and Eduard van Beinum. For the ‘Stichting voor het Kind’, Jonker photographed sales campaigns for children’s postage stamps, as well as orphanages and schools. Newspapers and magazines were always important clients for Jonker. For magazines, he did reportages on children in orphanages and sanatoriums. Jonker’s children’s photos serve as an example of his involvement in social issues. He photographed them in their element, unposed and unconstrained, occasionally as well in their complicated living situations. At the same time, however, he showed the children’s optimism and strength. A child’s surroundings and his interaction with others was important to Jonker. He managed to express this movingly in his photos.

In the late 1940s, Jonker photographed sports competitions for publications such as De Spiegel, including indoor sports as well as football (soccer) and baseball. From this work, he became skilled in capturing the right moment. Jonker’s acquired sense of timing would later prove quite useful in his theatrical photography.

Jonker photographed theatre, opera, and ballet performances, occasionally on his own, but usually together with Maria Austria. As the only Particam photographer owning a car just after the end of the war, he covered every performance occurring outside of Amsterdam. Although many of their shots were taken during general rehearsals, photographers were also present at the actual performances, either in the audience or standing between the stage decors. Performances were photographed with a Rolleiflex, which made virtually no noise when taking a photo. The Particam photographers typically worked with available lighting, in order to obtain a maximum effect in contrast. Aart Klein had found a way for shots to be taken without a flash, by making slow-speed films more light-sensitive. Developing the film over a longer period of time could enhance film speed. In 1959, Jonker won second prize in the category ‘Features’ for his entry to the World Press Photo contest: a shot of the Dutch National Ballet taken from the apex of the Koninklijke Schouwburg (‘Royal Theatre’) in The Hague. Jonker staged this photo, with the dancers arranged in a circle: when given a sign, they all made pirouettes, with their tutus fanning out in splendid fashion. The photo was frequently used for a wide variety of purposes, such as the Dutch National Ballet’s programmes and album covers. It was also regularly sold for publication in (foreign) magazines.

In the period that Jonker worked for Particam, the design of theatrical photography greatly resembled what had previously been produced prior to the war. The key scenes and leading figures were to be photographed in a way that was readily comprehensible and easily identifiable. The compositions in Henk Jonker’s reportage photography are austere. The main subject is typically positioned in the middle.

Besides working as a reportage photographer, Jonker also photographed regular people, street scenes, and seemingly insignificant moments. He possessed an intuitive sense when it came to finding the photogenic in everyday things. He was also able to tell a story with just a single image. Jonker never isolated his subjects, he placed them in a context, such as in his photograph Lof der nieuwe bouwkunst (‘Praise for the New Architecture’). The forms of the statue of Erasmus—reading from his The Praise of Folly—are emphasised by the lines of the building in the background, the HBU (‘Hollandse Bank Unie’, ‘Hollandic Bank Union’). Toying around with the context and introducing a random interconnectedness can as well be seen in the photos that Jonker shot in the late 1950s for the small book Rotterdam, produced for the publishing company Bruna with a text by Herman Besselaar. One photo from this book, entitled Kunst bij de koffie (‘Art with the Coffee’), depicts two young people sitting in the lunchroom at the new Bijenkorf department store. They appear in no way distracted by Henry Moore’s horizontal nude, seemingly reclining at their table and dying for attention.

Particularly noticeable when examining Jonker’s numerous prints are the crops that were made. Rarely did he print a 6×6 cm negative in its entirety: the crop was determined in the darkroom. It seems as if Jonker applied this technique in an effort to give his subject greater emphasis. This penchant for cropping photos can also be seen in his exhibition work. Photo editors working for his clients are also likely to have had a hand in making these crops.

One of the many exhibitions in which Jonker participated was The Family of Man, held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1955. On exhibit was Jonker’s shot taken at a wedding in the Jordaan neighbourhood of Amsterdam in 1953. Jonker was by no means the only exhibitor from the Netherlands: works could also be seen by Emmy Andriesse, Eva Besnyö, Ed van der Elsken, Cas Oorthuys, Nico Jesse, and others. The same exhibition was shown in Amsterdam in 1956, under the title Wij Mensen (‘We People’). The exhibition’s organiser, Edward Steichen, had selected none of Jonker’s work during his visit to the Netherlands in 1955 in preparing for the show. As stated in the exhibition catalogue, the photo actually came into Steichen’s possession via Life magazine.

Several years later, in 1961, critics compared an exhibition held at the Stedelijk Museum, entitled Dag Amsterdam (‘Hello Amsterdam’), with The Family of Man. In September 1960, the director of the Stedelijk Museum, Willem Sandberg, had asked a number of photographers, including Henk Jonker, to photograph Amsterdam in all of its facets. Sandberg took this step because the photographic work previously submitted to the exhibition had failed to meet the jury’s stipulations regarding quality. Jonker’s series focussed on working people in Amsterdam, ranging from ballet dancers and painters to construction workers and stockbrokers.

For photographing theatre, ballet, and opera, Jonker relied on a Rolleiflex, using a standard 80mm lens, and a Rolleiflex Tele with a 135mm lens. For his reportages published in Life, he sometimes used a Leica 35mm camera at the magazine’s request. For other reportages, Jonker photographed with a Rolleiflex and a Hasselblad, equipped with various lenses. He used both Ilford and Kodak film. The organisation of Jonker’s archive is based on the original negative film strips, ordered chronologically. The negative strips are of a consistent quality and well exposed. The archive includes few failed shots.

Prior to his departure to Torredembarra, Spain, in 1964, Jonker promised Maria Austria he would no longer take on any assignments in the areas of theatre, stage plays, opera, and ballet. For a number of years, Jonker spent his summers working as a French-fried potato chef in Spain, returning to the Netherlands in the winter to shoot photos. In about 1968, he decided to sign on with a photography studio operated by Harry Pot and George van de Wijngaard, which they had just started up in Bentveld in that same year. The three men photographed for magazines such as VT Wonen, Eigen Huis (‘Private Home’) and Libelle. In no time, the studio was doing very well. They took on additional photographers and found a new location for the studio at a storage warehouse in the village of Cruquius (North Holland). After the studio was taken over by VNU in 1972, Jonker stopped with photography. Instead, he took over the overseeing of the decor department, the bookkeeping, and managed the daily running of the business.

To this day, little attention has been given to Henk Jonker’s photographic work. This is an oversight, particularly when considering his reportages are in no way inferior to that of other GKf photographers from the 1950s. Undoubtedly, Jonker’s split with Maria Austria and his departure from the GKf are factors in his being somewhat forgotten. In depicting the optimism of the 1950s, Jonker was a typical post-war reconstruction photographer. He managed to capture life’s insignificant moments wonderfully, turning what was ordinary into something special. Henk Jonker’s work is characterised by an austere, but strikingly accurate registration of the subject.

Documentation