Exhibition with colored war photos in Scheldehof

By means of: Joep Bbrakers

Thu May 2, 09:18

General

VLISSINGEN – On Saturday, May 4, an impressive photo exhibition will be opened in the Scheldehof care center: the Second World War in color. About 276 photos will be displayed in the care center on Peperdijk, colored by Jakob Lagerweij, one of the world’s most gifted colourists. The exhibition can be seen until May 12.

The exhibition is organized by the municipality of Vlissingen, the province of Zeeland and Kick publishers. “Last year we published a four-part book series ‘WW2 in colour’ with colored photos from the Second World War,” says publisher and curator of the exhibition Matty Verkammen. “Now there is this traveling exhibition. Vlissingen has the scoop, here the exhibition can be seen for the first time and then the exhibition will travel for the country. After Vlissingen, the exhibition in Zeeland can in any case be seen in Kapelle, Zierikzee and Kats. Other locations will follow in the fall.”

Photos from Zeeland and Vlissingen

The photo exhibition shows photos from all over the world. “Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Pearl Harbor, Berlin, the Eastern Front, everything is covered,” Verkamman explains. There are also a remarkable number of Zeeland photos on display. “Of all the photos taken in the Netherlands, the province of Zeeland features the most. Jakob Lagerweij had also found many photos taken in Zeeland. I think about ten to fifteen percent of the photos are from Zeeland. The Battle of the Scheldt and the battles for Vlissingen also appeal to the imagination.”

Closer

According to Verkamman, the colored photos make a great impression on the audience. “In the collective memory, the Second World War is mainly a black-and-white event. Now that the photos have been colored, it comes in so much more, we also heard that again after the book was published. The war is getting so much closer.” A good example is the photo of the commandos running through Bellamy Park printed above. It is a well-known photo of Vlissingen in the Second World War, but it is indeed more impressive in color.

Manual work

Anyone who would think that coloring historical images can easily be done with Artificial Intelligence or a free downloadable app will be disappointed. Verkamman: “It’s all manual work. Jakob Lagerweij is internationally regarded as one of the best colourists. Some of the photos took him a whole day to take, and it shows. He really belongs to the world’s best.” The exhibition was initially going to be set up in the Machine Factory, but that turned out not to be entirely possible from a construction point of view. “We are happy that we can now go to Scheldehof and have room for all 276 photos.” The exhibition will be opened on Saturday, May 4, in the presence of journalist Ad van Liempt and publisher Matty Verkamman, who are both responsible for the accompanying texts for the photos. The exhibition can also be viewed during the Zeeland Liberation Festival.