Biography

Discussion

Piet Kramer was—like his father, J.G. Kramer—an artisanal photographer. His work was much broader in scope than his father’s, however, and he photographed primarily on location. The young Kramer enjoyed a fairly pleasurable lifestyle. He was, for instance, a big fan of automobiles and motorcycles. He is likely to have had an auto even before 1910­—a Spijker—which he also used as the company car. A photo of this Spijker exists, with Kramer and other photographers standing next to it and a small darkroom tent mounted on the back of the car. He was also an active fencer for many years. Sports photos by Kramer are nevertheless scarce.

Piet Kramer departed for Enschede in 1895 to become an apprentice with S. Goudsmit, a photographer originating from Groningen and a former neighbour of the Kramer family. When he returned to Groningen in 1896, Kramer registered with the civil registry as a photographer. Shortly thereafter, he left Groningen once again, this time traveling to Tournai (Belgium) to work as an apprentice for a photographer whose identity remains unknown. Between 1896 and 1902, Kramer remained in Belgium, with occasional extended interludes. In April 1903, he returned to Groningen for good, at which time he moved back in with his parents on the Nieuwe Ebbingestraat.

With the death of J.G. Kramer on 4 December 1903, Piet Kramer took over his father’s photography studio. One month later, an advertisement appeared in the Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (‘Newspaper of the North’): ‘Kramer’s Fotograf.-Atelier N. Ebbingestraat 37a is open daily. Reasonable prices, work that lasts. Specialty: architectural photography. Recommending: Piet Kramer.’ Kramer continued neither the art dealership or the photo supply store set up by his father: in all likelihood, these had already been shut down. He did maintain, however, his father’s working relationship with C.H. Peters, the Rijksbouwmeester (‘Chief Government Architect of the Netherlands’). Kramer referred to himself as ‘Rijks-architectuur Fotograaf’ (‘National Architecture Photographer’), a title appearing not only in his inventory catalogue of architectural photos, but also on his invoices as late as the 1930s.

In the time that P.B. Kramer owned his studio on the Nieuwe Ebbingestraat, he published a printed inventory catalogue: ‘Photographic shots old and new Architecture: Netherlands and East Friesland’. Among the shots depicting contemporary architecture of his day, many of the buildings shown are those designed by C.H. Peters. Most of the photos, however, feature historic architecture. A majority of the shots offered are taken in the provinces Groningen, Friesland, Overijssel, Gelderland, North and South Holland, and East Friesland (Germany). The catalogue also includes a number of shots featuring the church in Tournai. The photos presented are not only of buildings, but also of (museum) objects and items of topographic interest. The catalogue was continued for a while in the format of a notebook, but as far as is known, this supplement was never published.

Kramer’s series of photos commissioned by B. Kazemier, an architect in Groningen, is not mentioned in this catalogue. Kazemier was one of the founders of the Maatschappij tot Verbetering van Woningtoestanden (‘Society for the Improvement of Housing Conditions’), who regularly gave lectures on poor housing conditions in the slums of Groningen. These lectures were illustrated with images shot by Kramer, which today stand as an early example of social documentary photography. Whether Kramer himself was personally involved in the project, however, is a matter that cannot be determined.

Besides portraiture and architectural photography, ‘Fotografie Kramer’ as well took photos of groups, parties, and theatrical performances (‘shots taken with Artificial Light’). It was also ‘specially equipped’ for enlargements, groups, landscapes, and reproductions of paintings. Frames and passe-partouts were also available. In addition, Kramer could be ‘summoned anywhere’ for shots to be taken in one’s own personal surroundings.

A letterhead dating from the 1930s reveals that Kramer’s specialisations had shifted somewhat: portraits, enlargements and frames are still mentioned, but business now specifically concerns: ‘architecture, machines, interiors, etc. etc. animals, ships’. The photographing of ‘animals’ is likely to have chiefly referred to the photographic depiction of horse studs. In the winter, Kramer and an assistant drove around in his automobile to approach farmers. Cards were subsequently produced with the photos taken of horses, along with relevant information pertaining to that particular stud. These cards were then sent around to potential buyers. Kramer was also active as a press photographer, though this is not mentioned on his invoices or in his letterhead. He photographed for publications such as the Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (‘Newspaper of the North’), and is likely to have begun doing so in the 1920s.

After marrying in 1906, Kramer and his wife moved to Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 29a. The studio remained at number 37a, where his mother and sisters still resided. Kramer held great respect for the tradition of his family company, as virtually every member played a role in the business. The civil registry of 1910 lists Anna Maria as a ‘retoucheuze’ (‘retoucher’), and Manny as a ‘photographiste’ (‘female photographer’). Elisabeth, another sister, did the household work and helped out with the administration. In 1916, Kramer purchased the building at Oude Boteringestraat 46/48, as a home for himself, his wife, as well as his mother and sisters. In the garden, a daylight studio for portrait shots was constructed. The youngest sister married two years later and moved away; the other sisters remained unmarried and continued working in the business. Manny Kramer was likely the one who primarily ran the portrait studio.

Besides his sisters, Kramer employed various assistants over the years. From his early period, two names can be confirmed: C.A. de Jong, who was also a member of the amateur photographer’s association ‘Daguerre’, and T.J. Durville. Assisted by these two men, Kramer shot his architectural photos, both in the city and around the province of Groningen. C.A. de Jong later owned a collotype printing company). T.J. Durville left for Argentina in 1924. There are no known immediate successors. In the 1930s, a German photographer named Ernst Suffrian also worked for Kramer.

In 1932, Piet Boonstra, who would later become a well-known press photographer, entered employment with Kramer. Boonstra states that Kramer’s business had passed its peak during this period of economic depression. Specific sources of income, e.g. photographing wedding couples, had greatly diminished in number. In front of city hall, photographers jostled each other in the hope of taking a couple’s wedding photo, just to make a little extra money. Kramer’s portrait studio experienced a great deal of competition coming from J.A. Steenmeijer, a photographer frequently advertising ‘picture photos’, images akin to carte-de-visite portraits.

In the years 1919-1920, 1927 and 1930-1937, Piet Kramer is certain to have been a member of the NFPV. This was probably also the case in the intervening periods, though there are no sources to verify as such. Kramer participated in several of the exhibitions organised by the NFPV, the so-called ‘photographers days’, which often lasted only one day and were primarily intended for other professionals. One of Kramer’s entries was a photo taken at the sugar factory of Groningen. As far as is known, Kramer never held any board functions with the association. According to H. Wierts, Photographieën & Dynastieën (‘Photographs and Dynasties’, p. 23), he was indeed active in the Groningen chapter of the NFPV, but there is no source cited to verify this statement. During the war, Kramer photographed very little. As the war progressed, and in the years that followed, Kramer donated a share of his negatives to the Groninger Museum. Only in the museum’s annual report of 1946 is any mention made of the specific negatives concerned: photographic shots of the devastation in the city occurring in April 1945. Kramer is also known to have sold some of his negatives.

Opinions vary with regards to the exact date that Kramer’s business was permanently shut down. It appears the business died a slow death during the years 1945/47—a view likewise shared by the company’s former employee Piet Boonstra. Kramer died on 2 March 1952 in Groningen. The Nieuwsblad van het Noorden devoted a brief article to his passing: ‘(…) In the city and province of Groningen, Mr. Kramer was very well known. As a photographer, he went wherever there was something special to do. He recorded interesting things on the sensitive plate.’ It was particularly the memory of Kramer as a press photographer that the newspaper brought to its readers’ minds. This is not entirely accurate, when considering that the Groningen City Archives—via the Groninger Museum—today holds several thousand photos depicting other subjects. Because press photos were published in newspapers anonymously, an assessment of how significant or insignificant Kramer’s contribution might have been in this regard cannot be made.

The largest share of J.G. and P.B. Kramer’s legacy today found in public collections consists of architectural photos and cityscapes, interior photos, as well as photographic reproductions of paintings and museum objects. P.B. Kramer was a multi-faceted photographer whose work comprised a wider array of subjects than that of his father. In technical terms, however, he did not surpass his father. While from an artistic perspective—at the national level—the Kramers distinguished themselves to a lesser degree than their fellow townsmen F.J. von Kolkow and A.S. Weinberg, the regional importance of their oeuvre is indisputable.

Documentation