AHF / Ben van Meerendonk

Introduction

Since 1990 the IISH holds the large photo collection of the Algemeen Hollands Fotopersbureau (AHF: general Dutch photo press agency). It was founded by photographer Ben van Meerendonk (born July 20, 1913) in 1945. Although the agency started with several employees, by the fifties it was a one-man business of Van Meerendonk and some assistants. The agency delivered photographs to several Dutch newspapers, such as: De Waarheid, Trouw, De Tijd, Het Vrije Volk, De Telegraaf, Algemeen Dagblad and Het Parool. In addition, some commmercial orders were placed by local shopowners (a hairdresser, bakery, and butcher) as well as by large international companies such as Coca Cola, Philips, and Rank Xerox.

Van Meerendonk developed a few specialties, including photographs of the Dutch Royal family, photoreports on famous Dutchmen in their own home, international celebrities visiting the Netherlands, daily life in Amsterdam (such as Car in canal!, Crash with tram, winter and summer scenes) and sport photography.

Van Meerendonk won the 'Zilveren Camera' award three times (in 1950, 1958 and 1966) for best press photo presented by a jury of photo journalists. He was one of the founders of World Press Photo and secretary of this organisation from 1955 until 1969.

This presentation is comprised of digitized images of over 150 photographs - organised under seven topics: Amsterdam, Daily Life, Famous Dutchmen, Royal Family, International, Sports, and, Flood Disaster 1953.
By clicking on the small images in the list of topics, larger images and background data are displayed.

Thursday 19 October 2006, a street in Amsterdam was named after photographer Ben van Meerendonk.

More photos

• A selection of 1900 photos from the collection AHF / Van Meerendonk can be viewed as part of the project 'Memory of the Netherlands'
• Photographs taken by Ben van Meerendonk in the IISH collections.
• Portraits by Ben van Meerendonk in the IISH collections.
• Photographs at Flickr.com

Exhibitions:

'Vroeger toen alles nog leuk was...'
 (Before, when everything was still fun...)
IISH, November 10, 1994 - January 6, 1995

'Tsja wat zullen we eten' (Well, what shall we eat)
Amsterdam - De Burcht, September 23, 1999 - Februari 27, 2000

Bibliography:

• Frank de Jong en Marina de Vries, Algemeen Hollands. Ben van Meerendonk en zijn fotopersbureau
Amsterdam: Aksant Academic Publishers, 2005; ISBN 90-5260-193-3 ; 224 pp.

• Vroeger toen alles nog leuk was...,
Amsterdam : Stichting beheer IISG, 1994 (sold out)

• Amsterdam agenda / Ben van Meerendonk
Amersfoort : Bekking, vanaf 2003
Photographs from agenda 2005 at Flickr.com
Photographs from agenda 2006 at Flickr.com
Photographs from agenda 2007 at Flickr.com
Photographs from agenda 2008 at Flickr.com

• Fotodozen Ons Koninklijk Huis en Bekende Nederlanders,
Hoofddorp : Probiblio (www.probiblio.nl)

• Het kneuterige Nederland van Ben van Meerendonk / Marina de Vries.
Artikel op website Cultuurwijs.nl :
de cultuurwijzer voor schoolgaand Nederland, 2003

• Het jaren 40 boek / Paul Brood, René Kok, Charles de Mooij, Erik Somers en Pascal Viskil
Zwolle, Waanders uitgeverij, 2008

• Het jaren 50 boek / Charles de Mooij, René Kok, Erik Somers
Zwolle, Waanders uitgeverij, 2004

• Het jaren 60 boek / Paul Brood, René Kok en Erik Somers
Zwolle, Waanders uitgeverij, 2006