Selling Polaroids in the Bars of Amsterdam, 1980

In late 1979, a new phenomenon appears in the nightlife of Amsterdam: the Polaroid photographer. New York artists Bettie Ringma and Marc H. Miller temporarily exchange their loft in the Lower East Side of New York for a houseboat in Amsterdam, and start selling instant photo portraits taken in pubs around Rembrandtplein, Leidseplein and Zeedijk. They pioneered a practice that continues to this day. The pair photograph in brown pubs, Turkish cafes, transvestite bars and queer clubs; they build up a regular clientele and meet remarkable people such as, "Ko the Muscleman," the self-confident "animer girl" Nettie, and the extravagant pub owner-cum-pigeon fancier, Henk. It's a time of big moustaches, full ashtrays and unrestrained hedonism. Ringma and Miller took countless photos that were distributed among the nightlife public, but - sponsored by Polaroid - they also built their own collection of more than 350 Polaroid portraits of Amsterdam bar-goers.