Het Swigters Hofje aan de Amstel 1870 - 1926

Willem Wenckebach rendered this ink drawing of the Swigters Hofje on the Amstel. Wenckebach was working during a period in the Netherlands when there was growing awareness of social inequalities and the need for reform. The Hofje, or almshouse, was traditionally a private charitable housing complex for elderly, poor, or widowed women. There is a tension here: the women who lived in these almshouses, while sheltered, were also subject to strict rules. Did these spaces offer freedom or constraint? The inscription above the entrance, “In die mal’ aliberabit eum dominus” translates to, "In the day of evil the Lord will deliver him." This biblical quote suggests that while worldly conditions may be difficult, divine intervention can offer salvation. Wenckebach’s detailed rendering invites us to reflect on the lives of the women who passed through this gate, their resilience in the face of adversity, and the complex interplay of faith, charity, and social control in their daily lives.