Gezicht op het Walenweeshuis aan de Laurierstraat te Amsterdam 1665

This etching of the Walloon Orphanage on Laurierstraat in Amsterdam was made by Jan Veenhuysen, sometime in the 17th century. The orphanage was established to care for children of Walloon Protestant refugees who fled to the Netherlands from present-day Belgium and France. Veenhuysen’s image points to the complex social welfare systems created by the Dutch Republic's religious tolerance. The image also serves as a testament to the presence and importance of the Huguenot community. This print creates meaning through its matter-of-fact rendering, which emphasizes the institutional role of the building. Unlike more picturesque landscape prints of the era, this one serves a more documentary function. To understand such an image better, one might consult city archives, church records, and printed pamphlets. Ultimately, we understand this etching not just as a picture of a building, but as a window into the social fabric of its time.