Gezicht op de Amstel bij herberg de Schulp 1708 - 1740

This is ‘View of the Amstel River at the Inn de Schulp’, an engraving by Matthijs Pool, made sometime between his birth in 1676 and death in 1740. Engravings like this one offer us a window into the social fabric of the Dutch Golden Age. The Inn, or ‘Herberg,’ was more than just a place to eat and drink; it was a social hub, a place where people from different walks of life converged. Consider the figures populating this scene. You can see people arriving by carriage while others are working on the boats. Think about the lives and labor that intersect in this space. The Amstel River was a crucial artery for trade and transport, and the Inn served as a vital node in this network. This engraving invites us to reflect on how landscapes are not just physical spaces, but also stages upon which social and economic dramas unfold. It reminds us that every place has its own story.