Emmy Andriesse

Early life and education Emmy Andriesse was the only child of liberal Jews Abraham Andriesse and Else Fuld, both working in textile companies. At age fifteen, she lost her mother, and since her father traveled internationally for work, she was raised by several aunts. In her final years of study, between 1935 and 1937, she lived in Voorburg in a 'community house' together with a group of politically conscious fellow students. Amongst the 15 or so residents were photographer Hans Wolf and academics Eva Loeb, Hans (Johanna) IJzerman and Lex Metz. In this environment Andriesse and her friends came into contact with International Red Aid and various anti-fascist artists' organizations. Via this association Andriesse was involved in organizing the photo exhibition foto '37 in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, together with Carel Blazer and Cas Oorthuys.

War years and the 'Underground Camera'

In June 1941 Andriesse married graphic designer and visual artist Dick Elffers (a gentile with whom she had two sons, one who died young), but as a Jew during the Nazi occupation Andriesse was no longer able to publish and she was forced into hiding. At the end of 1944, with the assistance of the anthropologist she forged an identity card and re-engaged in everyday life, joining a group of photographers, including Cas Oorthuys and Charles Breijer, working clandestinely as De Ondergedoken Camera.

The photographs made during that period by De Ondergedoken Camera (The Underground Camera) group, including those by Andriesse, were recognized on 17 April 2025 as Dutch documentary world heritage by the Dutch UNESCO Committee.

Postwar

After the war, she became a fashion photographer and was an associate and mentor of Ed van der Elsken. She participated in the group show Photo '48 and in 1952, together with , Eva Besnyö and Cas Oorthuys, the exhibition Photographie, both in Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum. in the Museum of Modern Art world-touring The Family of Man that was seen by an audience of 9 million. In October 2006-January 2007 her work was included in a display of Twentieth Century European photography at the Barbican Art Gallery, London.

The Emmy Andriessestraat (Emmy Andriesse Street) in the Oostelijk Havengebied (Eastern Docklands), Amsterdam, is named after her. Gallery Many Andriesse photos of the South of France were commissioned for the book by W. Jos de Gruyter, The World of Van Gogh, Amsterdam 1953, but not all were published.

Auvers-sur-Oise, France

Works in collections A large collection of prints and negatives are kept in the special collections of Leiden University Libraries. Also the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam has works by Andriesse in the collection.