Ontwerp voor een klokkentoren op de nieuwe beurs van Zocher te Amsterdam (vooraanzicht), 1848 Possibly 1848 - 1849

In 1848, a monogrammist known as ANGJ made this design for a clock tower at Zocher's new stock exchange in Amsterdam. This stock exchange was not only a place of commerce, but also a symbol of Amsterdam's power and wealth, and this drawing gives us insight into how the institutions of the free market intersect with the development of civic architecture. The design employs a neoclassical style, visible in the symmetrical facade, the use of columns, and the inscription above the entrance. In 19th-century Europe, Neoclassicism was often used in the design of public buildings to evoke the values of the Roman Republic. In the Netherlands, this style also invokes the country's history as a center of enlightenment thought. This design suggests a desire to associate the free market with republican values and rationality. To understand this design fully, we might look into the history of stock exchanges as institutions, or consider the political and economic history of Amsterdam in the 19th century. In doing so, we can understand how the artist both reflected and shaped the culture of his time.