Amsterdam through the Lens of a Clandestine Camera

The Resistance Museum showcases photographs taken between 1942 and 1945 in wartime Amsterdam by Karel Bönnekamp, an amateur photographer active in several resistance organisations.

Restrictions

Taking photographs was restricted during the German occupation - many subjects were considered undesirable by the Nazis. From the autumn of 1944, taking photographs in the street was completely prohibited. Thankfully, that didn't stop a number of photographers recording wartime conditions.

Amsterdam street scenes

Many of the photographs taken by professional photographers became familiar images after the war, but the pictures taken by amateurs generally disappeared into family albums stored away in cupboards. Karel Bönnekamp donated his albums featuring 197 Amsterdam street scenes complete with captions to the Resistance Museum. This exhibition highlights the most extraordinary photographs in the collection.

Risky business

Bönnekamp was in the habit of collecting and recording facts. He cycled around Amsterdam every day as part of his resistance activities and took photographs of street scenes that caught his attention. While some photographers took their pictures through a hole in a bag, Bönnekamp preferred to find a hidden spot and quickly take his pictures.