Ed van Wijk's (1917 - 1992) name is inseparably linked with The Hague (third largest city of the Netherlands): a major part of his archive consists of photographs taken in that city. He preferred to work in black-and-white and captured the events and people who make this part of Europe special. Wijk's compelling photographs of the devastating flood aftermath in the Netherlands (1953) are a testament to his skill and sensitivity as a photographer.
The Hague, 1952-56
Ed van Wijk, At the Beach, Scheveningen, The Netherlands, 1950s
Girl with a doll and a dog, Amsterdam, 1963.
The Big Flood of 1953
During the night of 31 January 1953, a flood disaster hit the South-west of the Netherlands. About 1850 people and tens of thousands of animals lost their lives. Around 100,000 people had to be evacuated, 4500 buildings were destroyed and many more were damaged. Almost 200,000 hectares of land were flooded. Nine months later the last hole in the dike was closed.
Of the numerous floods that have swept the Netherlands, this was the first one to be documented photographically on a large scale.
Woman and her dog take shelter after the massive flood (1953)
Evacuated child with doll in dormitory just after a major flood (1953)
Flood evacuees board bus ( 1953)
Rescuers rest against hedge house after the flood (1953)
Boy gets fed by nurse just after the flood (1953)
North Sea flood, Stavenisse (1953)
