Tweede gesticht van de kolonie Veenhuizen, huismunt geslagen op last van de Maatschappij van Weldadigheid ter waarde van twintig cent 1818 - 1859

This is a twenty-cent coin, a huismunt, made anonymously for the Veenhuizen colony. These coins, minted for use within the confines of the workhouse, raise questions about autonomy and identity. Within the Dutch "Society of Benevolence," Veenhuizen was intended to "re-educate" the poor and vagrant through labor and discipline. The tokens isolated the people in the colony, and are a stark reminder of how systems of control can infiltrate the daily lives of marginalized communities. Minted on the order of the Maatschappij van Weldadigheid, the coin embodies the power dynamics inherent in philanthropic endeavors, where charity and control intertwine. This object invites us to consider the complexities of social welfare and the fine line between assistance and oppression, and how one can dehumanize and remove identity.