Issue #1 Details: (translated)

Geïllustreerd Weekblad voor Fotografie

Edited and collaborated by Adr. Boer, F. v. Meerendonk, J. J. M.M van Den Bergh, Rusticus, Luit. L.E. W. Van Albada, W. H. IDZERDA, W. E. ASBEEK BRUSSE, W. F. F. OPPENOORTH, A.P.H. TRIVELLI, etc. etc.

Eleventh YEAR 1904.

SATURDAY 2 JANUARY.

Published by LAURENS HANSMA, Apeldoorn.

Official Organ of the Amateur Photographers Association “Rotterdam.”

1893   1903.

1 Jan. 1904.

When someone has a birthday, relatives and friends share in that event, and where we now commemorate the 10th anniversary of “the Weekly”, we are convinced that many people congratulate us on this in their thoughts.

1 Jan. 1893 we founded the Weekblad. In the firm belief that with the best photographic necessities we would also obtain the best results, we went to a seaside resort on a beautiful summer day with completely new photographic equipment. Very soon, however, we obtained, due to a large amount of manuals or magazines, a particularly rich, photographic … chamber of horrors.

Fortunately, it was understood that many people felt the need for an organ in which one could submit one’s complaints and miseries to the benevolent comments and observations of knowledgeable fellow amateurs.

That we have seen well is proven by the prosperity of our Weekly. On this day, the commemoration of its 10th anniversary, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all who supported us, both the subscribers and the photo trade.

The number of subscribers has more than tripled and when we look up the old lists, we see to our surprise that there are still 200 who have remained subscribers since the foundation. Circumstances of various kinds have otherwise brought about quite a few changes in those lists. For the publication of No. 52 there are of course “thanks” but also new subscribers and these always far surpass the departed.

Quite peculiarly and flatteringly almost every thank you is accompanied by a word of appreciation such as: “thanks for the pleasure that each reading gave me”, or “I have always benefited from the many useful hints of the instructive articles” etc. etc.

It has always been our aim to move with the times and what we promised, we believe we have also accomplished. By making changes and improvements, both to the appearance and to the content, we have spared no expense or effort and where we appear today in a brand new guise. printed with completely new font, we hereby give the promise to continue on the path we have taken and to be able to retain everyone’s sympathy. As for the illustrations, we will open the series of our beautiful heliogravures this month with a negative kindly given to us by Mr. Ign. Bispinck, chairman of the Amsterdam Amateur Photographers Association.

We continue to recommend ourselves to everyone’s cooperation and support and wish all our subscribers a happy New Year!    Editors and Publisher. (pp 1-2)

History: Geïllustreerd Weekblad voor Fotografie  1894-1910

The Dutch photographic journal Geïllustreerd Weekblad voor Fotografie (Illustrated Weekly Magazine for Photography) was published for 17 years, from 1894-1910. The masthead on the title page for yearly volumes owned by this archive indicate the “Weekblad” was the “Official Organ of the Amateur Photographers Association “Rotterdam” from at least 1903-1905, and most likely associated with the group much earlier. From 1893-1900, (1898 missing) the weekly was promoted as the Official Organ of the Nijmegen Amateur Photographers’ Association M.L. (1.)

The journal was initially published in Apeldoorn, a city in the province of Gelderland in the center of the Netherlands by Laurens Hansma from 1894-1906. Hansma, (1860-1920) according to a short biography by the Nederlands Fotomuseum in Rotterdam was “an enthusiastic amateur photographer….the publisher of more than fifteen books on photography, including Kleurenfotografie, Fotografie voor den natuurliefhebber, Gomdruk and Het fotografeeren in de tropicen. Laurens Hansma is seen as an important figure in the spread of photography in the Netherlands.”

From 1907-10, the “Weekblad” was then published in Zutphen, located approximately 30 minutes southeast of Apeldoorn- also in the province of Gelderland, by W.J. Thieme & Co.

At the end of its 17th year of publication in late 1910, the journal was purchased and incorporated into the pages of the Dutch photographic journal “Lux” (geillustreerd tijdschrift voor fotografie-illustrated magazine for photography). Now published by J.R.A. Schouten, Lux (1889-1927) took on the former weekblad’s top editor, J. J. M. M. Van Den Bergh, with him joining the growing publications editorial staff.

1. List of Dutch amateur photographers and their circle before 1900: Dissertation: Mattie Boom: Doctoral degree: Erasmus University Rotterdam: “Kodak in Amsterdam The Rise of Amateur Photography in the Netherlands 1880-1910” (p. 142)