Photos by Paul Citroen, Katharina Behrend, Oscar van Alphen, Martien Coppens © Nederlands Fotomuseum. 

The exhibition The Darkroom in the Nederlands Fotomuseum is the first and only permanent presentation in The Netherlands about the history of Dutch photography. Drawing from the museum's rich collection, the exhibition brings over 185 years of Dutch photography to life.  

In this year’s issue of our Yearbook The Low Countries, a lot of attention was given to the history of Dutch photography by means of a portfolio: (Self-) Images of the Netherlands. Watch it here.  

Narratives

Realising plans by the renowned exhibition architects Kossmann.dejong, 250m2 of the Fotomuseum have been transformed into a darkroom. By placing a paper in a developing tray, just as photographers once did in the darkroom, the visitor activates the narratives, which relate the story of the still comparatively recent history of photography with photographs, films and music.

The stories are recorded by photographers, their friends, family members, scholars and well-known Dutch figures like Hans Dorrestijn and Thom Hoffman.  

Hunting with the camera

All forms of photography pass in review in The Darkroom: from albums to stereo photos, from autochromes to glass negatives, from daguerreotypes to digital photo files. The stories are complemented by objects like cameras, original and new prints, and unique objects used by the photographers.

The visitor discovers how the first photographs were made, follows the romance of Ed van der Elsken in Paris, and goes hunting with the camera.

The Darkroom has a total of 22 stories at its official opening on 25 September, 2011. In the years that the exhibition will be seen new ‘pearls’ from the museum's treasure house will regularly be added.