About this blog and my research

It all started in 2002 when I was in the city archive of Haarlem and for the first time held the servant's register (part of the population register) of this Dutch city in my hands. The wonderfully old smelling paper revealed names, addresses, dates and places of birth,  arrival and departure dates of all persons coming to this city and living in the same building as their employers between the years 1891 and 1900. Naturally, a lot of them were servants, but the register also included those with other professions, like "public women".

Up until then, prostitution had always been an abstract topic that I had never paid much attention to. Seeing the information of all of those women, however, made them somehow come to life. Suddenly, by simply reading their names, they became real women of flesh and blood, like me, who had lived on this planet too, only a century earlier. It made me wonder why they had come to Haarlem? If prostitution had been a career for life or just a quick way to earn money? What their lives would have been like? And in a broader context: to what extent the prostitution market was influenced by economic shifts, political decisions and societal responses? Although I had only just started my Bachelor of History at the VU University in Amsterdam, I knew then that the topic for my Master thesis was born.

In 2008 I received my degree with my MA thesis on the impact of modern economic growth on the prostitution market in Haarlem, from 1850 to 1900. Although my research was officially over, I still could not let the topic go. So I made a Dutch blog that I still consider my digital notebook of interesting found literature and resources. Recently I decided to start an English version of the blog as well. Besides translated posts in English, you will find references to literature and archival sources from countries outside The Netherlands. So this is the international version on the subject. My hope is that it will increase the awareness and interest of others on doing historical research on this fascinating topic.  

I am currently an external PhD student at the University of Utrecht. My research focuses on the development of prostitution businesses in the Netherlands between 1850-1911 under the influence of government policy, economic and socio-cultural changes. There is still plenty to find, research and write about!

Wilma van den Brink


Servants register Haarlem, 1891-1900 (NHA)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Choker necklace and prostitution

Image
In 2016 I was asked if nineteenth-century women who wore a ribbon around their neck (or a choker  as it was called), were considered prostitutes? The reason for inquiring was a resurrection at the time of this type of necklace among celebrities and teenagers. And even now, five years later, Harpers Bazar still considers a choker a fashion trend . This past week during an online lecture on the Belle Epoque in Paris,  the choker was mentioned. This reminded me of the former question. So I did some searching for the answer. (1)   According to Encyclopaedia Britannica , the definition of a choker is:   "a necklace that fits closely around the neck like a snug, high collar". The reference source also explains that the choker became popular in the nineteenth century. In its most common early form, it contained one or several rows of pearls. Halfway through the century, a choker made of a velvet band with a pin or pearl became fashionable. The red ribbon version that was tied around
Read more

Secret register of released prisoners, 1882-1897

Image
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 re
Read more

Five historical novels on prostitution

Image
What should you be reading during the summer holidays? I have listed my current favourite historic novels on prostitution, although, not all of them are set in the nineteenth century. Yet, the books have in common that they are character studies in which the main leads undergo a journey of transformation as a result of the choices they make. The stories are mainly told through the eyes of the protagonists and it even feels as if they are literally sitting next to you on a bench talking. As a reader, it seems rude to stand up and leave. Besides, you really really want to know how their stories evolve. So I can highly recommend these page-turners. Three of them are written in English and two in Dutch.  ENGLISH NOVELS 1. Michel Faber,  The crimson petal and the white (Edinburgh 2002) With almost 840 pages it is quite a journey you make with the main character. Yet it was one of the hardest books to put down. When the final chapter was nearing I had to put myself on a 'reading diet
Read more