Selling Polaroids in the Bars of Amsterdam 1980

In late 1979, something new appears in the Amsterdam nightlife scene: the Polaroid photographer. New York artists Bettie Ringma and Marc H. Miller temporarily exchanged their loft in the Lower East Side for a houseboat in Amsterdam, where they began taking and selling instant portrait photos in bars around Rembrandtplein, Leidseplein and the Zeedijk. They spearhead a trend that lives on to this day.

The duo photographs in various venues such as brown bars, Turkish cafes, transvestite bars and queer clubs. Their clientele grows steadily, and they come into contact with unusual characters such as "Ko the Muscleman," the confident "anime girl" Nettie and the extravagant pub owner cum pigeon fancier Henk. It is a period of full mustaches, overflowing ashtrays and uninhibited exuberance. Ringma and Miller shoot countless photographs that find their way to partygoers, and thanks to sponsorship from Polaroid, they also put together their own collection: more than 350 Polaroid portraits of Amsterdam pub goers.

Forty years later, this collection forms a valuable time capsule of the raucous and vibrant Amsterdam nightlife of 1980. The coffee table book "Selling Polaroids in the Bars of Amsterdam, 1980" is the first photo book of this special collection. The book contains not only an extensive selection of Polaroids, but also descriptions by Marc H. Miller and essays by Mark Bergsma and Leonor Faber-Jonker on Amsterdam nightlife around 1980 and the artistic work of Ringma and Miller.

Specifications
Title: Selling Polaroids in the Bars of Amsterdam 1980
Author: Marc H. Miller, Bettie Ringma
Publisher: Lecturis
Size: 285 x 237 x 23 mm
Size: 216 pages
Weight: 1259 grams
Language: English
Material: Hardcover
ISBN: 9789462264724

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