Images of barbed wire and Nazi boots in the Amsterdam streets, as well as portraits of the impoverished people of newly independent Indonesia are among the photos taken by Charles Breijer. The photographer, cameraman and resistance fighter, died in Hilversum on Thursday at the age of 96.

The significance of Charles Breijer is in the numerous photographs that he took in the Netherlands during the Second World War (1940-1945) and in the post-war years in Indonesia, the Dutch colony struggling for its independence which it declared in 1948. (story continues below)

As a member of The Underground Camera (De Ondergedoken Camera), a group of Amsterdam photographers, he captured life during the German occupation. Breijer not only took photos of disintegrating Amsterdam, but also provided unique images of the armed resistance.

Indonesia 
From 1947 to 1953 Breijer worked as cameraman in Indonesia. There he witnessed the decolonisation and the birth of the new republic. Charles Breijer was primarily attracted by adventure, but out of idealism he also wanted to contribute to the building of an independent Indonesian state. He worked first for the Dutch government film company, Multifilm-Batavia, and later as an independent film maker for the new Indonesian government.

After that Breijer continued to take photos. They are especially relevant as they show the plain and tense atmosphere of the last colonial years. After the handing over of sovereignity in 1949 Breijer mainly took photo of the daily life, architecture, landscapes and portraits.

In 1953 Breijer returned to the Netherlands. He then concentrated primarily on film and barely took any more photos. The Netherlands' Photo Museum in Rotterdam is looking after the extensive archive of Charles Breijer. (js/rk)