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Working period
1913-1938 Description
Bernard Eilers was one of the most important Dutch photographers of the first quarter of the twentieth century. His commissioned work is characterised by its pragmatic style, whereas he gave full rein to his artistic talents in his free work.
The archive containing his commissioned photographs spent forty years in a dusty attic belonging to his younger colleague Marius Meijboom before Flip Bool came across it by chance. The commissioned part of Eilers' archive turned out to consist of superb architectural photographs, portraits and reproductions. From a historical point of view the architectural photographs qualify as the most important category of his commissioned work.
Eilers' first outdoor pictures, taken in 1896 in Amsterdam, illustrate his keen interest in atmosphere and light. Previously he had worked in the graphic industry, but in 1911 he decided to set up in business as a portrait and reproduction photographer. His first assignment, from the Dutch railway company, probably dates from 1912-1913. Numerous assignments followed in the ensuing years, mainly from Amsterdam architects and furniture makers.
These commissions were surely due to Eilers' contacts with the artists who frequented his studio. His contact with H.Th. Wijdeveld certainly played an essential part in his architectural photography. Wijdeveld was editor-in-chief of the journal Wendingen, the mouthpiece of the Amsterdam School of architects.
Eilers' commercial work followed the line of his architectural photography. Most of it consisted of industrial reportages, for which he also designed the typography. Eilers thus became one of the Netherlands' first commercial photographers.
Most of his portrait commissions came from private customers. He also portrayed fellow-photographers such as Henri Berssenbrugge, Francis Kramer and Adriaan Boer.
His reproduction work, finally, ranged from the documentation of art collections belonging to prominent Amsterdam dealers and collectors to a commission from the Rijksmuseum to photograph Rembrandt's Night Watch - the first successful reproduction of that painting, incidentally. As well as an important source of income, this branch of photography acted as an inspiration for Eilers' free work, most of which is kept in the municipal archives of Amsterdam. |
Biography1878 Bernardus Franciscus Aloysius Eilers is born on April 24 in Amsterdam.
1895-1896 Apprentice lithographer at Van Leer & Zoon, followed by a training in chemigraphy in Vienna. First outdoor photographs in 1896.
1899-1904 Works at Van Leer & Zoon as designer, draughtsman, autotype photographer; he also designs the firm's stationery and advertising material.
1905-1906 Opens a chemigraphic studio in Amsterdam with Maurits J. Wolf, which becomes a meeting place for young artists.
1909 Editor of the magazine De Camera. Ends his collaboration with Wolf, continuing the firm under the name of Eilers & Wolf.
1911 Closure of Eilers & Wolf. Eilers opens a new studio for portrait and reproduction photography for architects, art dealers and museums (including the Rijksmuseum and the Frans Hals Museum). His studio is yet again a meeting place for photographers, architects and painters.
1912-1913 Assignment from the Dutch railway company to take photographs for a book commemorating the company's fiftieth anniversary.
1918-1927 Regular assignments from magazines, including Wendingen and Het Bouwbedrijf.
1927 The Philips electrical company in Eindhoven gives Eilers an important commission for posters and leaflets advertising lamps and the new radios.
1934 Renewed interest in colour photography (Jospé three-colour process). He calls his colour photography Fotochroma Eilers.
1937 Member of a committee charged with preparing the ground for a school of photography.
1939-1942 Gives up his studio to teach at the Amsterdam School of Graphic Arts.
1951 Bernard Eilers dies in Amsterdam on April 28.
BibliographySECONDARY
Anneke van Veen, Bernard F. Eilers 1878-1951, number 12 from the series monographs of Dutch photographers, Focus Publishing, Haarlem 2003
Wim Zaal, Destijds in Nederland. Een fotoalbum van Bernard F. Eilers met inleiding en commentaar van Wim Zaal, Amsterdam/Brussel 1974
Nico Scheepmaker, Nederland toen en nu. Foto’s van toen: Bernard F. Eilers, foto’s van nu: Con Mönnich, Amsterdam/Brussel 1976
Cary Markerink en Sybrand Hekking, Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse Fotografie in monografieën, Bern. F. Eilers. Kunst- en Reproductie Fotograaf, Den Helder 1979
Ingeborg TH. Leijerzapf, en Tineke de Ruiter, 'Bernard Eilers', in: Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse fotografie in monografieën en thema-artikelen, Alphen aan de Rijn/Amsterdam 1984, afl. 4.
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