De 5 onde Aar i Frederikshavn 1940-1945 – “The Five Evil Years in Frederikshavn – 48 Legal and ‘Illegal’ Photographs from the Occupation Period” – A historical photo album documenting the years of the German occupation in Denmark. Photographer: Herluf W. Jensen. Denmark [1945] – First edition – One of the few surviving copies.
The title “Legal and ‘Illegal’ Photographs” refers to the risk Herluf himself took, photographing activities such as Nazi operations, German Wehrmacht military parades, the funeral of Nazi soldiers, the funeral of a German officer, and similar events that, as a resident of occupied Denmark, he was forbidden to capture. The album includes, among others, photographs of the first street posters put up by the Nazis with the occupation, the freezing winter of 1941, barracks where the German occupiers were stationed, German soldiers preparing to demolish a defensive wall in Church Square, the hospital operating room protected by sandbags, shop windows shielded against air bombings, and many others.
Herluf Wilhelm Westengaard Jensen (1882–1950), a Danish photographer who primarily operated in the city of Frederikshavn, was born on May 6, 1882, and died on October 30, 1950, at the age of 68. Early in his career, he specialized in portraits, group photography, and documentation, as well as landscapes and topographical photography. He became especially well known for his hand-colored photographs, which became popular as wall decorations in homes in Frederikshavn during the 1920s and 1930s. In addition, he produced postcards from his photographs, which were in high demand during that period. During World War II, his camera captured significant events, and his photographs became iconic – including the funeral of Royal Air Force pilots who fell near Skagen on November 23, 1941, held at Frederikshavn Cemetery on November 28, 1941.
One of the few surviving copies – only two records list in the WorldCat library catalog, both in libraries in Denmark.
[2], 48 pages. 22×14 cm. Dedication on the cover. Very good condition.
