The Maria Austria Institute (MAI) collects and preserves exceptional photographic archives by photographers with a strong connection to Amsterdam. MAI does so to ensure that these photographers’ work remains a lasting part of the Netherlands’ visual heritage. Peter van der Velde’s photographs were newly added to MAI’s image archive.
In April 2016, Peter van der Velde (Amsterdam, 1936) died. He was a charming, engaging and modest man, a lover of life and, above all, an outstanding photographer. In 2013, his book appeared in the Dutch Photography Magazine series published by Lecturis. The book offers a small selection of his travel photography over the years. The irony in the way he saw through the camera makes it a feast for the eyes. He was also a master of beautiful melancholy.
Peter van der Velde (Amsterdam, 1936) had previously worked as a KLM flight attendant and traveled the world aboard Lockheed Constellations. Photography was his hobby. He bought his first Pentax in Tokyo. In the sixties, he worked as a model for fashion features.
During the same period, he met Maria Vaikla, who later became his life partner. She worked at Geïllustreerde Pers, which began publishing the then-leading magazine Avenue in 1965. She introduced him to Kees Scherer, from whom he learned the professional photography trade beginning in 1969.
In 1971, Van der Velde received his first assignment from Joop Swart, an editor at Avenue, for a photo feature about Brittany. Soon afterward, he traveled to Mongolia with Jan Cremer for a travel feature in the magazine. He quickly became one of Avenue’s regular photographers. The magazine gave both photography and photographers room to flourish. Much was possible there. He could spread his wings again. The world became his studio.
He worked for Avenue until it ceased publication in 1994. Peter van der Velde produced countless travel features, not only for Avenue but also for magazines such as Flying Dutchman, Margriet and Globe, and for Foster Parents. For Heineken, he photographed the world’s most beautiful cafés.
View Peter van der Velde’s photographic archive at MAI.
In partnership with the Amsterdam City Archives, the Maria Austria Institute preserves, manages and, where possible, digitizes the archives. MAI brings the archives to the public’s attention and organizes presentations, exhibitions, books and educational activities.
