The stories of famous, notorious but also forgotten women are bought back to life by Special Collections between 15 February and 20 May.
Famous, notorious, forgotten
Artists, thieves, nuns, queens, torturers, benefactors, poisoners, savants, adventurers and other peculiar women from Dutch history: once upon a time they were famous or notorious, now they’re mostly forgotten, which is a shame, as their life stories cast new light on the past. Under the editorial guidance of Els Koek, more than 300 experts describe the lives of controversial women from Dutch history from the earliest periods (ad 300) until the present in clear and comprehensible articles. The book will be officially presented at the opening of the exhibition.
Historical soul mates
The exhibition reconstructs the lives of historical women in all their variety. Visitors stroll through the pages of the voluminous book 1001 Vrouwen uit de Nederlandse Geschiedenis (1001 women from Dutch history – ed.) En route they come across the cloth with which the holy Saint Cunera was strangled, the shoes (size 55) of giant Trijntje Keever, the writing chest of Anna Maria van Schurman, Mata Hari’s bra and Hannie Schaft’s gun. Famour Dutch personalities like the journalist Aldith Hunkar, television presenter Arie Boomsma, singer Bennie Jolink, the actress Eva Laurenssen, etc. nominate their favourite historical female. The exhibition itself also acts as a bridge between the past and present by enabling visitors to go looking for their historical ‘soul mate’.
