IISH

Photo collection Wim Dussel

Wim Dussel

Wim Dussel
(Click on an image for a larger image)

The photo collection of journalist / photographer Wim Dussel (1920-2004) has been transferred to the IISH. Dussel crossed the world as a travelling photojournalist.

Wim Dussel began his career in Asia after having volunteered for the Marine Brigade just after the liberation in 1945. His unit had been formed to fight the Japanese, but the brigade of 2000 men ended up in a chaotic Surabaya in Indonesia following the Japanese capitulation and the proclamation announcing the Republic of Indonesia. Dussel was a talented journalist and soon became correspondent for the Marine Information Service. He wrote for the magazines Wapenbroeders [Brothers in arms] and Ik zal handhaven [I shall maintain], the magazine in which his first photos were published.

In January 1948 the truck in which Dussel was riding hit a mine. The driver was killed, but Dussel was only wounded and was brought back to Holland. The military campaigns of the Dutch in Indonesia between 1945 and 1948 are nicely covered in the photo collection.

'Schottrein'

'Schottrein'

Djember

Djember

Near Tjepoe

Near Tjepoe

In 1950 Dussel joined the Dutch UN detachment in Korea, reporting on the progress of the war. His pictures from this period can be found in the book Tjot. Nederlanders in Korea [Tjot. The Dutch in Korea], published in 1952 and 1990.

Daf and caravan

Daf and caravan

When he returned home, he wanted to concentrate on making foreign photo reports. Dussel first travelled by scooter, and later used a Daf, a small, very basic Dutch car that was not noted for its sleek design. While most Dutch people at that time didn't travel beyond their national borders, Dussel visited such countries as Iran and Afghanistan. Aware of his Dutch origins, he crossed the US by bicycle in 1976 on the occasion of the Bicentennial. Between 1970 and 1985 he worked as a correspondent for the Nieuwsblad van het Noorden [Newspaper of the North]. Later, Wim Dussel showed slides of his travels in lectures throughout the country.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan

USSR

USSR

India

India

In his work Dussel had a special eye for everyday life, for extraordinary people, landscapes, and individual human suffering. His themes, working method, and international view make this collection an important acquisition for the IISH.

Crew Evertsen

Crew Evertsen

Dussels photos from Korea were shown at an exhibition at Spaarnestad in 2000/2001 and in the book Focus op Korea (Sdu, 2000) by Bernadette Kester et al. His Korean photos were given on loan to the Military History Section of the Royal Army in 1995.

The IISH is still sifting through this collection of thousands of black and white negatives and slides. Interested parties can contact the Services department.

More photographs by Wim Dussel in the IISH collections.
A selection of his photographs can be seen at Flickr.com

Text: Huub Sanders, April 21, 2004
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