Gezicht op de Gevangentoren te Oudewater, 1745 1750 - 1792

Hendrik Spilman made this print of the prison tower of Oudewater in 1745. The tower stands as a potent symbol of power and control within Dutch society during this period. Located in the province of Utrecht, Oudewater was a small town whose economy relied on rope making, brick making, and brewing. This detailed engraving offers us a window into the social and institutional landscape of the Dutch Republic. We can consider the tower's architecture as an expression of the prevailing social order. Prisons are, after all, an instrument of social control. The presence of figures in the foreground invites reflection on the role of the prison within the community. To truly understand an image like this, the historian turns to a variety of research resources: local archives, legal documents, and other visual records of the time, all to enrich our appreciation of the social context of the work.