(photograph © Kiwidutch)
Another Billboard post from my photographic archives, photographed whilst they were on show by the Haags Gemeentearchief (the Hague City Council Archive) to celebrate their 125th Anniversary in 2009.
As with the other billboard posts, all are situated as close to the spot as possible (and where practical) to where the original photos were taken, so that viewers can see both the past and present views.
“De Stede” is an area what lies roughly around the intersection of the Hengelolaan and the Vrederustlaan and there’s a large (at least for Dutch standards) shopping centre there.
Considering that the billboard photos hae been taken between 20 and 150 year ago, this is one of the more ‘recent’ ones as this billboard photo was taken in 1967.
The text on the board reads: “ De Stede met Albinet en boekhandel Jan Haverman. Prentbriefkaart uitg, door Jan Haverman circa 1967“Translated, that reads ” De Stede with Albinet and Jan Haverman Bookshop, Advertising postcard given out by Jan Haverman around 1967″
The shops interiors have changed because the bookshop no longer exists as far as my searching can find, but Himself thinks that from memory “Albinet” was a less successful offshoot of the large supermarket chain “Albert Heijn”. That would make some sense, because today the “Albinet” is occupied by the highly successful Albert Heijn supermarket, (who probably already owned the premises when the billboard photo was taken.)
The actual buildings however have changed little, the trees have grown and the surrounding buildings looking in the same direction look almost the same as they did when the photo was taken. Sometimes a snapshot in time tells us how much things change.
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
(photograph © Kiwidutch)
In this instance it tells us that some things change very little indeed.
