Tot Zover

When we see a black, luxury extended car pass by, it gives a sad feeling. We avoid them, because hearses contain something negative. That's why at some point in the Netherlands we started calling them mourning cars as an adequate euphemism. But they are often very beautiful cars, made with much care and love. Filled with pride when such a car rolls off the production line, who wouldn't want to photograph it?

From hearse to funeral carriage

Huiskamp Carrosseriefabriek celebrated its centennial in 2013. The company started as a vehicle manufacturer and supplied all kinds of cars and carriages. The first funeral coach was built by request around 1926, more orders soon followed and the company moved to specialize in this field.

From the 1930s the carriage began to give way to the car. In the early decades, these were only American brands with names such as Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, DeSoto, Dodge, Ford, Lincoln, Oldsmobile, Packard and Pontiac. Mercedes and Volvo were also added from the 1980s. These manufacturers supplied an extended chassis and Huiskamp finished the car according to the customer's wishes.

Gangster films

The photos of Huiskamp show the development of mainly luxury American cars, from the carriage-like first cars to the models we know so well from American gangster films. In the post-World War II welfare society, chrome-plated cars are marketed, the cars became more austere again in the 1970s.

Not perfect

Huiskamp staff proudly photographed the cars for decades, for the customers and for their own archives. The photos are not perfect, the exposure is not always good and sometimes you see the shadow of the photographer. Many photos were taken on the company premises, but they were also photographed in Winterswijk and the surrounding area. The Music School, built in 1973, was a favorite backdrop for many years and in the 1990s the first cemetery was chosen as the location. Occasionally the car was driven into a field, idyllically among the flowers.

Pin ups

The images have one similarity: it seems as if the cars are posed as a pin-up for the photographer. The same poses keep coming back over the years. For example, the photos in the museum are grouped, captions in the original abums indicate brand, year of manufacture and customer name. This paints a picture of the funeral sector in the 1950s and 1960s, with numerous family businesses. Hearse cars are made to be a worthwhile last ride, but also for their visual value. This exhibition pays tribute to cars we'd rather not look at. Very luxurious cars, with which we bring our dead to their final resting place. Cars that transport grief. Sorrowful cars.