Koek-, beschuit- en pasteibakkersgilde van Amsterdam, gildepenning van overman C. Veeger 1747

This is a silver guild badge for C. Veeger, the overman of the Amsterdam cake, rusk and pastry bakers guild. While we don’t know the exact date, or the artist who made it, the badge offers a glimpse into the social structures of the time. Guilds like this one were a cornerstone of economic and social life in the Netherlands and elsewhere, and they played a crucial role in regulating trades and crafts, controlling who could practice them. Membership was often tied to social status and gender, with women often excluded from the more powerful guilds. Think about the power dynamics at play here. Who had access to these trades? Who was left out? What did it mean to be an "overman"? Reflect on what this small object represents. It's a symbol of community, but also of exclusion. A reminder that our relationship to work and identity is always shaped by the society we live in.