H.F.G.N. Camp (1821-1875). Architect of King William III A notable phenomenon in nineteenth-century government building is the continuation of William III's (1817-1890) own building policy, through the appointment of Henri F.G.G.N. Camp as the king's official architect from 1849 to 1874. William III, like his deceased, had very clear architectural views and, contrary to what is often thought of him, had considerable knowledge of architecture and fine art and more often than not did not mince his words when it came to taste. (1) In 1838 J.C. Boon had been appointed within William I's court as the king's architect, a position that until then had been linked to that of the architect of national buildings. In 1861 he was retired by King William III. In addition to Boon, Henri F.G.N. Camp (1821-1875) was appointed architect to the king's office on April 2, 1849. The timing of Camp's appointment is closely related to the enthronement of William III. The new monarch had known the Mons (Hainaut) born Camp personally for several years and it seems, therefore, that the architect quickly gained a position of trust at court that transcended the content of his position as master builder. Camp had settled in The Hague on December 25, 1853 to direct the renovation at the Noordeinde palace, having already remodeled the "comedy hall" of the Het Loo palace for William III in 1851. (2) In addition to his position as court architect, Camp remained a private architect, including for the University of Leiden, and was active in various organizations, including as a Hague city council member and jury member for the competition for the national monument on Plein 1813 in The Hague. From 1860, Camp assumed increasingly administrative positions within the court, including as administrator of the royal estates and - from 1865 - as court council and intendant of the royal palaces. In 1870 he became a member of the Court Commission, in which capacity he was charged with overseeing the education of Prince Alexander, who maintained very close friendships with the lavishly building King of Bavaria, Ludwig II. In 1874, a year before his death, Camp seems to have retired from some of his work; on November 11, 1874, he was succeeded as royal architect by Lucas H. Eberson (1822-1889), who acted only as private architect to William III. (1) G.J. Kikkert, William III. Biography, Utrecht 1990, pp. 236-237. (2) Relevant archival materials of Camp are in the Royal Archives and the National Archives in The Hague, as well as in the library of Leiden University. The NAI does not possess any materials by Camp. Education: Polytechnic School/Delft Additional activities: Hague City Council/member/;Board of Directors of The Hague Drawing Academy/member/;Board of Directors Royal Institute of Engineers/member/;Competition for the national monument Plein 1813 in The Hague/juror/;Board of Directors.