Marketplace of Delft with the Nieuwekerk 1740 - 1785

Gerrit Toorenburgh created this print of the Marketplace of Delft with the Nieuwekerk sometime between 1732 and 1785. This was a period when the Dutch Republic was a major maritime power, deeply involved in global trade and colonization. The print offers a glimpse into the daily life of Delft, a city known for its pottery and its connection to the House of Orange, the Dutch royal family. The Nieuwekerk, prominently featured, is the burial site of William the Silent, a key figure in the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule. But beyond the architecture and the bustling marketplace, what stories are untold here? Where are the faces of those who labored to build the Netherlands’ wealth? Consider how the bodies of enslaved people were commodified and traded in similar marketplaces across the Dutch colonial empire, even as cities like Delft prospered. This image reminds us to consider whose histories are visible and whose remain obscured.