Double Dutch Treat
A Dutch photographer inspired by the Old Masters captures Orange City's heritage.
Imagine being an immigrant and stumbling upon a place that feels like home. That's what happened to Dutch photographer, René Clement, who had been living in New York City and happened upon a small town in Iowa. When I first passed through Orange City, Iowa, in 2004 I had the strangest experience. I had unexpectedly found myself in a small town peppered with windmills, houses with Dutch stair-step gable fronts and an abundance of tulips. And since it was a Sunday, there was not a living soul to be seen on the streets of this small community guided by an unshakable Dutch Reformed tradition. My curiosity was peaked. What's going on here?
René Clement returned to Orange City, Iowa for 5 years, creating an amazing body of work, Promising Land.
