Bankiers of handelaars voor de Beurs van Zocher before 1894

Hendrik Herman van den Berg captured this photograph, titled 'Bankiers of handelaars voor de Beurs van Zocher', at the Zocher Stock Exchange. This photograph gives us a glimpse into the social hierarchies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Men in suits and hats dominate the scene, embodying the era's prevailing image of power and commerce. The presence of a few women, often accompanied by children and sheltered by parasols, hints at the restricted roles assigned to them in public and economic life. Van den Berg does not seem to be challenging any traditional power structures in this photograph. The architecture of the Zocher Stock Exchange, with its imposing columns, symbolizes the might of financial institutions, while the cobblestone street suggests the everyday world upon which this power is built. The photograph serves as a lens through which we can examine the relationships between wealth, gender, and class in a rapidly changing society. It invites us to reflect on who had access to economic spaces and who was left standing outside.