Frits J. Rotgans

photographer · illustrator

Dutch b. 1912, Amsterdam, Netherlands^[1,3] d. 1978^[1,2] active 1930–1978

Frits J. Rotgans (1912–1978) was a Dutch photographer, illustrator, and resistance fighter during World War II. He is internationally renowned for his unique large-format panorama photography, which he achieved using self-constructed cameras in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. During the German occupation of the Netherlands, Rotgans engaged in resistance activities, including forging identity documents and creating illegal color slides to document daily life in Amsterdam. His work often focused on industrial reconstruction, aviation, and wide-angle landscapes.^[1,2,3,4]

• panorama photography
• industrial reconstruction
• resistance history
• aviation