Secret register of released prisoners, 1882-1897

Looking at an old photograph of a person really brings the past to life. If you are lucky enough to find one from the 19th Century at an archive, then chances are that the depicted person was having problems with the law. And if he or she was added to the Dutch secret register of released prisoners, it was even worse. Because then they had committed a serious offence and were considered dangerous for society. Access to the register was in those times limited to people working in specific professions. Nowadays you can find the old register online at the Provincial Archives of Brabant (Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum - BHIC). (1) Among the listed, I found brothel owners and prostitutes, like the grim-looking man you see on the right. His name was Gerardus Mulder. 

The initiative for a secret register came from the Minister of Justice at the time, Anthony Modderman. (2) From 1882 to 1897 all persons that had been convicted for serious offences were photographed before release. Together with their full name and description, their image was placed in the secret register for (soon to be) released prisoners. The monthly updated list was distributed to the Attorneys General at the Courts of Justice and the Public Prosecutors. Later on, the officers of the military police and commissioners of the police in municipalities with over ten thousand inhabitants were included as well. All receivers of the updates had to keep its content secret since public knowledge of it could prevent the listed former convicts from finding "good honest" work. (3)  

Brothel owners and prostitutes

Within the database at BHIC, you can search on the profession of the convict (via "Alle Velden"). In this case, I searched on the dutch words for prostitute and brothel owner. It resulted in eleven people. Prostitution was legal in the Netherlands, so they could not have been convicted for their jobs. What can we discover in the register about them and the crimes they committed?

Gerardus Mulder
Gerardus was the first name I encountered. He was born in Engelen, near the Dutch city of 's-Hertogenbosch. Before his conviction, he was living in 's-Hertogenbosch, roman catholic and, married. After a prison sentence of 5 years for theft (from 20th May 1886 until 28th of July 1891) the 40-year-old brothel owner was released. He served his time at the penitentiary of Leeuwarden. His prison job there was cleaning, he behaved well and could read and write. As to his appearance, he was 1.74 meters tall (5 foot 7), had dark hair, blue eyes and a broad forehead and nose. His mouth was described as "big" and his chin round. Overall he was considered healthy-looking. Besides Gerardus, I have found two other brothel owners within the register. 

Janke and Theodorus
In the year that Gerardus was imprisoned, two other brothel owners were released. The first, 54-year-old Janke Hemkes, had been convicted twice of aiding and abetting theft, she served six and three years. During her time in prison, she was a seamstress and behaved well. She could also read and write and was not so tall, with 1.49 meters (4 foot 10). Like Gerardus, she was married, but protestant by religion, living in Leeuwarden before the arrest. 

Theodorus de Faber was born in Franeker, and his place of residence before he was arrested was Arnhem. Similar to the other brothel owners he had been convicted for theft and sentenced to six years imprisonment. In prison, he helped in the kitchen. His behaviour was considered "fine". The register describes him as a rather tall man, 1.80 meters (5 foot 11), with blond hair and blue eyes. His nose and chin were "ordinary". He was married, 48 years old, a roman catholic and could also read and write. 

The prostitutes
Besides the three brothel-owners, there are eight prostitutes mentioned in the register. Most of them had been repeatedly convicted for theft. Sometimes added with extortion and assault. All but one could write and they behaved well during their imprisonment. Except for two women. The 40-year-old Johanna Nagel who was convicted for theft with assault, behaved "reasonably" because she was considered "hot-tempered". Janna Pluim (see image on the right) was described as "completely unmanageable". The 54-year-old widow was convicted for, theft, assault, rebellion and begging. She was said to have an alcohol problem and was "persistent in her arguments with her fellow prisoners and in constant disagreement with the prison staff". Seeing portraits and reading stories like those of Janna and Johanna easily tend to be generalized to the entire prostitution industry within those times. It is, therefore, necessary to put the stories in perspective. 

In perspective
It is difficult to draw general conclusions about prostitution from this source alone. The three brothel owners and eight prostitutes are only a few of a total of 1,676 individuals (117 of whom were women) listed in the secret register. Moreover, the source only shows the people who have gotten into serious trouble. Not the majority that stayed out of serious problems with the law. To get to know the 11 mentioned people in the prostitution business better, you could look them up in court records to find out what "theft" entailed for each of them, like Gerardus. By subsequently placing the individuals in the context of institutional regulation, economic growth and socio-cultural change, they do add significant value. The source provides insight into understanding the bigger picture. And simultaneously feeling a connection to the past by the added photographs makes clear, once again, that history is about people.

Notes 
(1) See information in Dutch on the website of the Brabants Historisch Informatiecentrum
(2) Hanneke Hoekstra, Het hart van de natie: morele verontwaardiging en politieke verandering in Nederland, 1870-1919 (Amsterdam 2005) 27; Petra de Vries, Kuisheid voor mannen, vrijheid voor vrouwen. De reglementering en bestrijding van prostitutie in Nederland, 1850-1911 (Hilversum 1997) 32-40.
(3) Original letter of Modderman informing the Attorneys General at the Courts. Archive: Treasor, missive van den Minister van Justitie, 31-03-1882.