Biography

Discussion

Dr. J.J.M. van Santen—who in public consistently went by the name of ‘Koos’—was a formal, somewhat distant, dominating, but also very attentive personality. According to his former students, Van Santen was lively, erudite, and motivating, but also strict. He was exceptionally skilled as a didactician, equipped with a good sense of humour. As easy as it seemed for Van Santen to captivate and instruct a reader, an individual student, or a group, it was equally as difficult for him to deal with some of his own children in an understanding manner. He had a tendency to expect too much of his own children, could get uncontrollably emotional or angry, and was the one to suffer most from his own behaviour. As the head of a large and hospitable family, he was the key figure around which everything else was centred. Van Santen’s family accepted the fact that he had taken over two large rooms in the house for his own use as a working space and darkroom, while the children were obliged to share two small bedrooms.

Van Santen was raised in a Catholic middle-class environment. At the age of fifteen, he was faced with his father’s death. Van Santen subsequently took on the responsibility of caring for his mother, sister, and two brothers. In doing so, he acquired a highly developed concern for his fellow man. Juggling with time and money, he completed his academic studies in mathematics and physics, which enabled him to climb a few steps higher on the social ladder. Van Santen was proud of his doctoral title, and character-wise, he was somewhat ‘affected’ by the elitist atmosphere at the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory in Leiden, which was one of the leading centres of physics in the world at this time. Yet Van Santen lacked the cultural breadth that was needed to easily interact with others in these surroundings. In 1934—three years following his doctoral exam—he obtained his Ph.D. His dissertation was entitled Metingen van de tweede viriaalcoëfficient van helium bij 0°C, 20°C. en 100°C (‘Measurements of the Second Virial Coefficient of Helium 0°C, 20°C. and 100°C), which failed to make any major innovative impression. It would appear he carried out his employer’s stipulations down to the letter. Several of Van Santen’s premises were tied to his passion for photography, in which he voiced his preference for the DIN system when it came to the sensitivity of photographic emulsions. He also questioned the reasoning that sensitising photographic emulsions with wavelengths above two microns was not possible.

Between 1931 and 1937, Van Santen published tables of water vapour pressures together with four other authors.

Van Santen had a hard time squaring the laws of physics with his Catholic faith. He had doubts about many of his religion’s dogmas, including transubstantiation during the consecration in the Roman Catholic mass. While working on his dissertation, however, he still requested his pastor’s permission to peruse one of the books listed on the Catholic Index.

After having received his Ph.D. in 1934, Van Santen managed to find temporary teaching jobs in Leiden—in spite of the economic crisis. In 1936, he became a teacher of mathematics and physics at his own former Catholic secondary school in The Hague, the Aloysius College. During the German occupation, Van Santen was removed from the school’s teaching roster for security reasons, i.e. to avoid being called up for the Arbeidseinsatz (forced labour deployment under the Germans). He still received his salary during this period, but delivered to his home.

During his physics classes, Van Santen created his own Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory, where he stood in front of his students as a scholarly doctor, wearing a white laboratory jacket. He was assisted by a precision instrument maker named ‘Rientjes’. Van Santen’s students respected him. His style of teaching was expressive, with experiments carried out to demonstrate the effects of the laws of physics. In spite of his scientific attitude, Van Santen placed significant emphasis on the mysteries encountered in nature.

Van Santen’s didactic qualities were as well known outside The Hague. In 1947, he was asked to teach classes in the ‘Didactics of Physics’ at Leiden University, a job he turned down. In 1950, Van Santen was rejected during the final round of an application process for the position of ‘lector medische fotografie’ (‘lecturer medical photograph’) at the University of Nijmegen. The reason for his not being accepted is likely to have stemmed from his request for an excess amount of living space in a city where very few homes had survived the war unscathed.

In the 1950s, Van Santen served as a board member of the ‘Nederlandsche Fotovakschool’ (‘Netherlands Vocational School of Photography’), founded in 1948 or 1949 by Carel Tirion and others. Van Santen also put together study material and conducted examinations for the school.

By the late 1960s, Van Santen started to become increasingly sluggish and disoriented. On occasion, he was unable to complete his presentation while conducting a physics experiment. A former student of Van Santen’s who was now an anatomic pathologist interpreted his behaviour as the early signs of a brain tumour. In the final years prior to his retirement in 1970, Van Santen was no longer able to carry out his responsibilities as a teacher on a full-time basis.

It was during his academic studies in the 1930s that Van Santen started to photograph. His archive is comprised primarily of black-and-white negative 35 mm strips (most shot with a Leica), colour slides, and a mere fifty enlargements. The subjects he photographed were his own family, the classes he taught, and his holiday travels. Photography was to provide an important form of relaxation therapy for Van Santen, who began having severe headaches in the 1940s.

As a photographer, Van Santen was greatly interested in the technology, the equipment, and working in the darkroom. He conducted frequent tests in areas such as lens sharpness, depth of field, film sensitivity, the electronic (gas discharge) flash, as well as ultraviolet and infrared photography. Van Santen had already developed a technical background and interest while working as an assistant at the Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratury during his study in Leiden. Located in the same building was the school of ‘precision instrument makers’, with whom he had good contacts. The years of the German occupation had given Van Santen the time to realise his ideas with respect to improving the various devices he owned, in an aim to make them more user-friendly.

The visual qualities of Van Santen’s relatively small oeuvre lie first and foremost in his commitment to his subject. This can be observed primarily in the minimal physical distance between the photographer and the object. As a result, the observer experiences an event as if he had truly witnessed it himself. In addition, Van Santen had a good sense of balance and understood the importance of a well-chosen frame.

One of Van Santen’s first inventions, occurring in the early 1940s, was the ‘omnigraaf’ (‘omnigraph’), a cartridge tray for reproduction photography. In order to minimise one’s use of 35 mm film under the scarce conditions of the German occupation, he designed a rectangular lightproof cartridge tray, into which a short strip of unexposed 35 mm film, a ground glass screen, and a 24×36 mm adjusting slide with linear patterns were inserted. Van Santen placed this ‘omnigraph’ into an enlarger, with the adjusting slide under the lamp of the enlarger, so that the linear pattern was projected onto the subject to be reproduced. Via the adjusting slide, the correct enlarging measurements and sharpness could be set. The lamp of the enlarger was then turned off and the adjusting slide in the omnigraph slid further, with the unexposed strip of 35 mm film then coming to rest where the slide had just been. After the reproduction lighting had been turned on, the shot was taken using the shutter of the enlarger lens. The ground glass screen was used when placing the omnigraph in the camera’s focal point. For this purpose, Van Santen as well used an old plate camera. On 3 September 1943, Van Santen filed a request for a patent on this invention, under no. 112970.

Probably due to a lack of funds, Van Santen sold his invention to the company Amalux N.V. during the Hunger Winter of 1944/45, prior to having actually received the patent. This is stated in an agreement dated 25 February 1945 between Amalux N.V., represented by J.L. Talens, and Van Santen: ‘When and if the photographic cartridge patent, requested under number 112970, has been granted, this patent will be transferred to Amalux. Van Ssnten then receives ƒ 5000,- + 10% of gross revenue in the future.’ The Dutch patent no. 57939 was granted on 16 February 1946 under the title: ‘Cartridge for a strip film, specifically so-called 35 mm film.’ Van Santen’s legacy includes a set of technical drawings made by N.V. Siemens, Rijnstraat (Amsterdam), under the direction of ‘ir. Vos’ (‘ingenieur’ = engineer).

In January 1945, Van Santen requested a patent under no. 119923, bearing the name ‘Filterparaatheid’ (‘Filter Preparedness’). The application concerned a lens cover with a slit into which filters could be inserted radially. The filters not being used could be slid into a space at the back of the camera bag that came with the camera. On 16 July 1946, the patent council informed Van Santen that an American patent—no. 2.241.596 of 1940 and belonging to Victor Guhl—had preceded his invention. Van Santen subsequently withdrew his patent request the following day.

In December 1945, Van Santen submitted a patent application under no. 122887 regarding a ‘device for fluorescence analysis’, which entailed a portable case construction with an ultraviolet lamp and filter, in which objects could be analysed under ultraviolet light. He was assisted by the design engineer ‘Van Eyck’. According to an advertisement in Van Santen’s book on ultraviolet photography (1946), the invention was called the ‘Janelta Analyse apparaat’ (‘Janelta Analysis’ device). Van Santen had in fact requested the patent under the name of J.L. Talens of the Amalux company. In June 1946, the patent agency sent its response directly to Talens, stating that the construction was ineligible for consideration as an invention.

On 3 June 1948, Van Santen filed a patent request for an ‘Device for reading the depth of field of photographic objectives with varying shooting distances, focal lengths, and apertures.’ No correspondence has been found specifically related to the further course of this patent process.

Prior to the war, Van Santen had already been writing an esteemed series of articles for publication in the magazine Focus. The first article, which appeared in 1932, was a report on a conference being held in Ghent, Belgium, concerning technical photography. It covered topics such as x-ray photography, infrared photography, the theory of the latent image, and direct colour developers. From 1935 to 1971, Van Santen wrote a total of ninety-nine articles for this magazine, an average of three per year. He also published written works in the magazine Foto. With these articles, he demonstrated his ability to put himself in the mindset of the optics specialist, the technician, and the chemist. Van Santen placed great emphasis on the the popularisation of new inventions and the supplying of ideas and suggestions to make the amateur’s life easier.

During the war, Van Santen had the time to write books, and consequently, to amass his knowledge and insights. He was on good footing with Dick Boer, the publisher of Focus. In 1953, their bond was still quite formal, but by 1958, the two men joked about ‘Dick’-ing and ‘Koos’-ing. Van Santen’s first book, entitled Ultravioletlampen als analytisch en fotografisch hulpmiddel (‘Ultraviolet Lamps as an Analytical and Photographic Aid’), was published in 1946 with Amalux in The Hague. The introduction states that the initiave for the book had come from the company J.L. & L.J. Talens of The Hague.

On 15 March 1945, Van Santen and J.L. Talens of the Amalux company made a deal to compile a list with terminology translated from English-to-Dutch, French-to-Dutch, and German-to-Dutch in the areas of photography and cinematography to be completed before 1 September 1945. Van Santen also became the editor of the Amalux annual, entitled Amalux fototolk. Viertalig verklarend woordenboek voor fotografie en cinematografie (‘Amalux Photo Interpreter. Quadrilingual Explanatory Dictionary for Photography and Cinematography’), in which this list of words was published by Focus in Bloemendaal in 1947. Also appearing in 1947 was Van Santen’s photographic manual Beginselen van de fotografische techniek (‘Principles of Photographic Technique’). In the foreword he stated that he had written this book as an amateur for his fellow amateurs, in the hope of contributing to photography’s broader application. Starting with the third revised and expanded edition, the manual was published in two volumes. Volume I bears the subtitle: ‘Cameratechniek’ (‘Camera Technique’); Volume II has two parts: A. ‘De afwerking’ (‘The Finishing’), and B. ‘Enkele speciale gebieden’ (‘Several Special Areas’). Both of these books were reprinted in numerous editions. Van Santen’s books were well received in the reviews published in the Dutch technical and scientific magazines. The sales figures were extraordinary for this time: for the second edition of Beginselen van de fotografische techniek, 1,300 copies were sold in 1948 alone, followed by on average an additional 300 copies per year in the two years that followed.

In 1937, Koos van Santen became a member of the (Haagsche Amateur Fotografen Vereniging, ‘The Hague Amateur Photographers Association’). Minutes of association meetings indicate that Van Santen acted for the first time as vice-chairman/librarian on 14 October 1945, alongside chairman Auguste Grégoire and secretary Hein J. Herbig. In 1947, Van Santen felt it was in the HAFV’s best interest to become a member of the BNAFV (Bond van Nederlandse Amateur Fotografen Verenigingen, ‘Federation of Netherlands Amateur Photographers Associations’). Grégoire, however, saw no advantage in such a step. On 8 February 1948, Van Santen succeeded Grégoire as chairman, which was ratified at the annual meeting on 1 March 1948.

As the association’s chairman, Van Santen was very active. He gave lectures and organised photo competitions (eight per year!). A high point was the organisation of the HAFV’s fiftieth anniversary celebration in 1957, with an exhibition at Noordeinde Palace. The queen’s husband, Prince Bernhard, was as well a member of the honorary committee.

Through his authority, tact, and charm, Van Santen was able to stave off numerous crises within the HAFV. Tensions were partially to blame on the differences in opinion regarding photography. Some of the association’s members were proponents of a more conservative style of photography, with the emphasis placed on composition. Others were drawn to the more liberal style of photography that was emerging. J.G. Beernink was a member of the ‘old school’ who had written a book on photographic composition during the war. During the 1950s, he also sat on the association’s jury committee. Beernink wished to stand firm on his rigid rules of composition, but voluntarily dismissed himself from the jury in 1954 when faced with considerable opposition. This move failed to stop him, however, from harping on about his rules, the poor manner in which the jurying was being conducted, and the loss of membership resulting from this shift. In 1961, the situation escalated out of hand. Van Santen lost his patience and—finally—proceeded to call Beernink out on his negative attitude and the error of his thinking, thus leaving the agitator with no other option but to cancel his membership.

By the early 1960s, Van Santen’s headaches, his teaching position, and the association all began to take their toll on him. New statutes within the HAFV, designed to regulate the duration of the various board functions, provided Van Santen with an opportunity to step down as chairman in ‘regular’ fashion in 1964. Upon his departure, he was offered an honorary membership, and following Grégoire’s death, Van Santen went on to become the association’s honorary chairman.

In June 1958, Van Santen undertook an important initiative while still a member of the HAFV: he organised a photo contest for secondary schools at the regional level in an effort to spark an interest in photography among young people. ‘Category A’ was for those who developed and printed their photo entries entirely on their own; Category B was for those who did not. Twenty schools responded positively. The ‘Stichting ter bevordering van de amateur-fotografie’ (‘Foundation for the Promotion of Amateur Photography’) gave its support by pledging to donate a medal of honour in bronze. 190 entries were submitted, with the ceremony taking place in the auditorium of the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague in March 1959. Photos were published in the local press. In 1960, the number of entries rose to 256. In 1962, photography dealers and newspapers were approached to donate a gift. In 1963, twenty-seven VHMO (Voorbereidend Hoger en Middelbaar Onderwijs, a merging of upper- and middle-level secondary) schools in and around The Hague and participated, with 625 photos submitted in total. Seventeen photography dealers provided gifts and seventy-six prizes were awarded. During the awards ceremony, J.G.M. Broekman, at the time general director of the Ministry of OKW (Onderwijs, Kunsten en Wetenschappen, ‘Education, Arts, and Sciences’), mentioned the possibility of photography being introduced as a class in the Dutch school curriculum—an intriguing announcement that apparently led to no further action.

The sixth competition was organised in 1964, but this time the schools’ enthusiasm was significantly less for reasons unknown. Of the twenty-eight registered schools, only eight were initially willing to participate. In the end, four hundred photos were submitted by having the teachers step in directly as contacts. Hereafter, the initiative faded.

At the end of 1943, Van Santen and his family were forced to evacuate their home due to the Germans’ plans to build anti-tank canals. Van Santen was initially obliged to work in Germany, but was exempted by changing the year of his birth in his passport. The passport still survives: when closely examining the year of birth, one cannot help but notice the alteration. During the years of the German occupation, Van Santen took very few photographs. Yet he did have five AGFA Isopan ISS 35 mm rolls of film saved, specifically for the purpose of documenting the liberation of the Netherlands. Van Santen was therefore one of the first people to photograph the arrival of Allied forces in The Hague. He was even stopped and interrogated at that time by a Canadian soldier making serious enquiries as to why he had a German camera in his possession. Van Santen’s penetrating reportage of these events also included the departure of the German soldiers as well as the members of the Dutch NSB (Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging, ‘National Socialist Movement’) being taken away to internment camps.

On 24 May 1945, Van Santen was granted a day permit to photograph homes on the Van Foreeststraat in a fortified area sealed off with no civilians allowed to enter. Between 10 July and 30 September 1945, he also received permission to enter the fortified areas of Scheveningen and Clingendael.

During World War II, the Aloysius College had been taken over by the Germans. Following the liberation, Van Santen photographed the students returning to their school. He also made a film on this subject, entitled Herom ‘t Paradijs; terugkeer van 700 naar een eigen veste (‘Paradise Around Here: Return of 700 to their Own Stronghold’).

As a teacher and as chairman, Van Santen brought people young and old into contact with photography. After the war, his books, articles, and lectures on this topic served to encourage and support those who were interested right up until the 1970s. With his exceptional talent for didactics, Van Santen reached a broad target group, ranging from beginning amateurs to professional photographers. He was responsible for discovering a number of inventions, which served to make photographing and printing easier. His reportages on the liberation of The Hague in May 1945 form an interesting and supplementary contribution to the available photo-historical documentation concerning the occupation and liberation of the Netherlands.

Documentation