Ed van der Elsken

Although at first glance Van der Elsken's work appears to be documentary photography, he had a subjective style in which reality and imagination intermingle. Thus, he also photographed imitated or created realities such as dioramas, wax figures, and posters, in which one may, at times, discover a socially critical view. Jan Postma wrote about this particular picture: "On the left in the picture, some Moluccan youths are hanging on and against a car. They breathe self-confidence. Huge bunches of hair. Jeans with flared legs. They are tough and they are cheerful. A Dutch family passes them: man in a white polo et greasy hair, woman pushing a pram with a blonde child. The woman takes in the boys suspiciously. People from there who are suddenly here, making themselves comfortable here. It is an image that anticipates the half-century of patriotic history that would follow." Jan Postma, 'Vreemde Tegenstellingen'', De Groene Amsterdammer, 22 September 2022 (own translation)