Plattegrond van Amsterdam, 1902 1902

This is a map of Amsterdam, made in 1902 by an anonymous artist, with ink and colour on paper. I wonder about this artist, sitting with their materials and references, rendering the city with such precision. The colours are muted - greens, reds and tans - and the city is neatly organized within a grid. I imagine their hand moving carefully, trying to capture every street and building, deciding what to include and what to leave out. It’s a process of decision-making that can feel a little bit like painting. There is a certain beauty in the map’s functionality. The city appears as a record, each element carefully considered in relation to the whole. Maps, like paintings, can be records and guides, attempts to capture the world around us. They help us navigate, not just physical space, but also our understanding of the world. We are all, I suppose, map-makers.