Groepsfoto 1940 - 1943

Editor: So this gelatin-silver print, titled "Groepsfoto" or Group Photo, was taken between 1940 and 1945, according to the Rijksmuseum's records. It’s…well, it's a snapshot of naval officers. It feels very staged, yet intimate somehow. What can you tell me about the context in which photographs like this were made and displayed during wartime? Curator: This image, likely taken during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, reveals several layers when considered through a socio-historical lens. Ask yourself: Who commissioned the photograph? Who was the intended audience? Wartime photographs, particularly group portraits of military personnel, served multifaceted purposes. They boosted morale, solidified group identity, and functioned as propaganda. The very act of carefully posing these officers, freezing them in a moment of camaraderie, hints at a desire to project strength and unity amidst conflict. The gelatin silver print process made the image reproducible; how do you think this affected its distribution? Editor: Well, the fact that it’s reproducible means it could have been circulated widely; perhaps in newspapers, maybe to family back home, or kept as a personal memento? Was there censorship or any regulation of images such as this in the Netherlands at the time? Curator: Precisely. Photographic images in occupied territories became carefully monitored sites. So consider how the men wanted to be perceived in a political context where what they stood for was questionable. Now, also observe that there are awards that they're wearing in plain sight. So again, in thinking about social context, what might this mean during WWII? Editor: That is fascinating! I hadn't considered the levels of subtle control and projection at play. Curator: These small details bring so much insight. Each image provides narratives of history if you investigate who, what, why and where these photographs exist.