The fair organisers
Dialogue Vintage Photography
Interview with Eric Bos Waaldijk
By Michael Diemar
Interview with Eric Bos Waaldijk
By Michael Diemar
On 21 September 2019, Dialogue Vintage Photography held its inaugural edition in Amsterdam. The venue was well chosen, the Cultural Educational Center (CEC), just a few stops on the metro from the city centre. And the event was “more than a fair”, with an interesting programme of talks and demonstrations. It’s a concept that has ensured that the fair is buzzing at all times and CEC has remained its home. Eric Bos Waaldijk, one of five people in the Dialgue team, explains how the idea for the fair first emerged.
– In 2013, Frido Troost, a Dutch dealer in vintage photography, passed away at the age of 53. Frido was a passionate man who loved photography. His gallery in Haarlem, the Institute for Concrete Matter, was housed in an old smithy. It wasn’t only a treasure trove of vintage photographs but also a meeting point for the Dutch photo community. Frido was a colourful character. He had a great eye and lived life to the fullest. You didn’t visit his gallery just to look at photographs or to buy; you also met other collectors, curators, and artists, and shared a drink together. Frido put photography on the map as a collecting field in the Netherlands, and many current Dutch collectors started their collections with him. In 2017, after a photography auction, the idea emerged to organise a fair as an homage to Frido. A fair that would not only be about photography itself, but also about the interaction between people who love it. Just as in Frido’s gallery, the aim was to create an open, informal, and inclusive space where people and images connect.
Who are the people involved?
– The founders of the Dialogue Vintage Photography Foundation, which organises the fair, are Eric Bos Waaldijk, Daniël Heikens, Johannes Roos, and Philip van Schaik, supported by photo historians Flip Bool and Hans Rooseboom. Today, the Dialogue team consists of Daniël Heikens, Roos Schouw, Sebas de Voogd, Wouter Lambrechts and me. Many team members have children who also play an active role during the fair itself.
How has the fair evolved since the start in 2019?
– We are constantly seeking collaborations with other fairs, museums, archives, and like-minded organisations. One important development has been the introduction of the Dialogue Magazine, which will be published for the fourth time this year. Finances are always a challenge. We are a non-profit foundation working with volunteers, all of whom have other jobs alongside the time they dedicate to Dialogue. We aim to operate as professionally as possible, but with limited funds and manpower, this can be difficult. Still, we have plenty of ideas and a clear vision. We just need the resources to match. Our goal is to position Dialogue as Northern Europe’s leading vintage photography festival, with a focus on the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK, and the Scandinavian countries. Another recent addition is a section where Dutch photographers sell vintage prints from their own archives. This has proved very popular. We strongly believe in the crossover between historical and more recent photography, but our focus remains firmly on vintage; that is what Dialogue stands for.
Dialogue Vintage Photography is more than a fair. There is a range of activities going on around it, lectures, giving the fair a real buzz.
– Yes, we have a popular lecture programme, as well as collectors’ talks in which collectors present their favourite pieces in conversation with a moderator, who might be a curator, dealer, fellow collector, writer, or art advisor from another field. We also offer demonstrations of historic photographic processes such as cyanotype, wet plate, and daguerreotype, along with a vintage-style photo booth. Additionally, we organise tours for aspiring collectors, giving them a broad overview of what the fair has to offer. In recent years, we have noticed a welcome shift: more young visitors are attending, some as young as 18.
How many exhibitors do you have, and where do they come from?
– We host between 40 and 50 participants, including dealers, galleries, collectors, and photographers. They primarily come from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom.
Can you tell me about the range of material that is offered at the fair?
– The time period runs from 1839 to 1989, covering the first 150 years of photographic history. Items include daguerreotypes, stereo views, cartes de visite, travel photography, early colour photographs, albums, photobooks, and vintage prints by both famous and lesser-known photographers, as well as vernacular material such as snapshots. Prices range from as little as €1 to €30 000.
You mentioned the Dialogue Magazine.
– Our chair, Roos Schouw, is also the publisher of the Dutch camera and photo magazine Focus, founded in 1914 and one of the oldest, still existing photo magazines in the world. She serves as editor and publisher of the Dialogue Magazine. Through the magazine, we aim to capture the essence of Dialogue: the interaction between people and vintage photography. We strive to make it accessible for those with little knowledge of the field, guiding them into the world of collecting and appreciating historical photography.
You are part of a new generation of dealers and fair promoters coming into classic photography. What suggestions do you have for expanding the market?
– Be as inclusive as possible. Involve younger generations, inspire them, and spark their curiosity. Show them that photography has shaped, and continues to shape, the world more profoundly and intensely than perhaps any other art form. The technology has changed completely, but photography’s importance has only grown. Today, everyone is a photographer, even if only an amateur. From a collecting perspective, it remains an accessible market: there are still countless fascinating images available for just a few euros. Encourage interaction between digital and analogue, and embrace new developments such as AI. Be authentic and informal. Keep your doors open to anyone with an interest in photography—and show and tell the stories behind the images.