It started in 1925
At the end of the nineteenth century, Volendam was frequented by a lot of artists. Painters found inspiration in the picturesque village and its residents in traditional dress. Volendam became quite well known and within fifty years, the fishing town started to welcome a steady flow of tourists. From 1920 onwards the little town had gotten used to American visitors in particular.
On a summery day in 1925, Pouw de Boer, the baker’s son, saw a group of Volendammers and Americans having great fun as they exchanged clothes. The budding businessman installed a little photo studio in his father’s shop. Tourists were encouraged to have their picture taken in costume there.
It was an instant success. Soon the baking business was abandoned and the De Boer family built a professional studio and started focusing solely on tourism. At the same time they started to sell souvenirs. Few visitors left the village without being captured on film by Foto De Boer.
The pictures stayed
Over the years Volendam changed. Slowly but steadily the traditional dress disappeared from the streets. This benefitted the photography in costume: local dress became more and more special and demand grew. Celebrities had their picture taken and thanks to increasing prosperity tourists from all over the world visited the town. Even locals and their children immortalised themselves in ‘Volendam style’.
Nearly a century later, Foto De Boer is still the favourite place for photography in Volendam costume. Following Pouw de Boer and his son Jaap, the family business is now owned by Cornelis and Paulien de Boer. With the same authentic ambiance from the past and the means and techniques of today, they are ready to bring you an extraordinary photo experience every day of the week.
