Wintergezicht op de bocht in de Herengracht in Amsterdam c. 1856 - 1921

Emil Ost created this print of the Herengracht in Amsterdam, capturing a winter scene with people and carriages populating the snowy streets. Consider the identity and history embedded in this image. Ost, born in 1846, lived in a time of industrial and urban expansion. Amsterdam, with its canals and merchant houses, was not just a picturesque city, but a hub of trade and colonialism. The people depicted here would have been part of a society deeply stratified by class and wealth. How does this context inform the visual narrative? This image prompts us to consider the stories of those who lived and worked in this urban landscape, and how their experiences were shaped by the economic and social structures of their time.