The fiftieth commemoration of the Big Flood induced the Nederlands fotomuseum (Dutch Museum for Photography) to digitize all photo negatives on this particular subject. Insofar as it had not been done before, the negatives in question were put in PAT-tested (Photographic Activity Test) enclosures. Every negative was given a number including an inventory number and – in most cases – several serial numbers.

Ed van Wijk's negatives had not yet been described. With the help of literature, comparison with other photographs and notes of a former assistant, the descriptions were completed as far as possible. The archives of Ed van der Elsken, Kees Molkenboer and Cas Oorthuys had been described summarily; in some cases annotations were discovered on the contact prints or on the original packaging. Sometimes further research yielded more information. Dolf Kruger was the only one of the selected photographers who made fairly detailed annotations on his own work. The original descriptions made by the photographers themselves are included in the annotation field.

Once digitized, the negatives hardly need any further handling. This reduces the risk of their getting damaged. However, it must be granted that a scan or a print of a negative does not always yield a result comparable to what the photographer himself would have achieved. When printing negatives or making scans, the Nederlands fotomuseum aims at coming as close as possible to the photographer’s original methods. The technicians refer to vintage prints and books as much as possible when printing or scanning for the museum.

All the photographs on view here were digitally processed, but have not been touched up. The images featured on this sub site are JPEG images, 1200 pixels wide with a resolution of 72 dpi. For more information about the digitization, please contact the Collection Department at the Nederlands fotomuseum.

The collection of the Nederlands fotomuseum has been registered in the Memorix database, available online on the museum’s website. Prints may be ordered from the museum’s Collection Department. All prints are of professional quality.