Anne had started collecting postcards and pictures of movie stars even before the family went into hiding. This collection went from the house on Merwedeplein to the Secret Annex. On 11 July 1942, Anne wrote in her diary:
A Room Full of Dreams
July 1, 2021 — The new exhibition A Room Full of Dreams opens on 3 July at the Anne Frank House. This exhibition centres around the pictures and postcards that Anne Frank stuck on the walls of her bedroom. At first glance, it may seem like a random collection, but the pictures tell a story: they reflect Anne’s life, her dreams, and her changing interests during life in hiding.
‘Thanks to Father, who had brought my whole collection of picture postcards and movie stars here beforehand, I have been able to treat the walls with a pot of glue and a brush and so turn the entire room into one big picture.’
Layered pictures
Anne spent a lot of time on her collection. She expanded it with new pictures from the magazines brought in by the helpers. She would take some pictures down, add new ones, or paste them over older ones. The pictures underneath have been made visible with ‘lenticular printing’, which creates a unique 3D effect. The pictures reflect Anne’s development and changing interests during life in hiding. In addition to cinema and royalty, she gained an interest in art history, as evidenced by pictures of a work by Rembrandt, Michelangelo’s Pietà, and others.
Interactive
In the exhibition, a large interactive touchscreen lets visitors take a 360-degree look around Anne’s little room and zoom in on several pictures provided with background information. The exhibition is located at the end of the museum route in the Anne Frank House, after the Secret Annex and the Diary Room. The original pictures are still on display in Anne’s bedroom in the Secret Annex.