Eva Pennink

Eva Pennink (1911 - 2008) was a Dutch photographer and fashion editor.

Biography

Eva Pennink was born on 11 October 1911 in The Netherlands, as the eldest daughter to Joan Gerard Boelen, scion of a family of wine merchants in Amsterdam, and Charlotte Alida Matthes.

Early in her career, in the 1930s, Pennink modeled for Erwin Blumenfeld, the celebrated photographer for Vogue Magazine. As a photographer herself, Pennink shot numerous notable personalities in the Netherlands, including members of the Dutch royal family. Rijksmuseum, the Dutch national museum in Amsterdam, has acquired 24 albums of her own black and white photography.

In 1948, she began working as a fashion editor for Algemeen Handelsblad, a leading liberal daily newspaper published between 1828 and 1970. Working with the newspaper, Pennink traveled throughout Europe, especially in Paris. With time, she became well-known and respected for her fashion journalism. She left Algemeen Handelsblad in 1968.

Later in her life, she embarked on an art career, making collages. The first public exhibition of her works was held at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1975. Her collages were purchased for the British royal family and sold in the U.S., in Ireland, and in The Netherlands. 

Pennink always maintained her home base in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, though she visited the United States many times since the late 1940s. Her sister, Henriette A. Laverge-Boelen (1914-2005) lived in Richmond, Virginia, in the U.S., and Pennink regularly visited her from Amsterdam. Pennink was married to J. J. Pennink (1898-1974.)

Eva Pennink died on February 2, 2008, at the age of 96. She was survived by her two sons, Burchard J. Pennink and Maarten J. Pennink.