Gezicht op de noordzijde van de Dam met omnibussen van de Hollandsche Spoorweg, het gebouw van Van Gend & Loos en links de ingang van de Nieuwendijk 1850 - 1875

This photograph by Rooswinkel & Co. captures the Dam Square, featuring the bustling omnibuses and the Van Gend & Loos building. The monument to the right dominates the composition: it is a figure atop a column, a motif echoing ancient victory columns. These pillars, reminiscent of Trajan's Column, were erected to celebrate military achievements. Consider how this symbol has morphed: from antiquity, with its narratives of conquest, to Amsterdam’s monument, now a marker of civic pride and unity. The column carries an emotional charge, a collective memory of triumphs and resilience, engaging viewers on a subconscious level. We see how symbols persist, reinvented across epochs, revealing our enduring human need to commemorate and connect with the past.