Shopping Spaces and the Urban Landscape in Early Modern Amsterdam, 1550-1850 (Amsterdam Studies in the Dutch Golden Age)

In this study, the appearance and location of shops in Amsterdam during the early modern period is linked to major changes in the urban economy, the size and socio-spatial distribution of its population, and the structure of the urban grid. Not only is there ample attention for the spatial distribution of shops across the urban landscape, but for the first time it is also accurately charted what the exterior and interior of Amsterdam shops looked like and how they changed in the course of the centuries. Partly as a result of this, it has proved possible to give an impression of the ways in which retailers and customers interacted. The Dutch language edition of this book is available from Uitgeverij Verloren (2013): Het winkellandschap van Amsterdam , ISBN: 978 90 8704 373 5. Title 4 Introduction 12 Preface 10 Table of contents 8 Copyright page 5 1. Shops, markets and the urban landscape in sixteenth-century Amsterdam 18 Historical background 18 The location of retail activities: Theory 20 The urban landscape of Amsterdam in the sixteenth century 26 The location of shops in the urban landscape 30 Streets, houses and shops 40 2. Changing distribution systems: differentiation and specialization in early modern Amsterdam 56 Distribution systems in the US and England 56 Distributive trade and distribution in Amsterdam 62 Combinations of wholesale and retail 77 3. Shop location patterns in the age of the great urban expansions 82 A period of dynamism and expansion 83 Patterns of accessibility in the ­enlarged city 93 Shops in the city centre and the new neighbourhoods 97 The retail landscape of Amsterdam in the seventeenth century 107 4. The retail landscape and the consumer in the seventeenth century 114 The street 114 Shopfronts 120 Shop interiors 137 Buying and selling 156 5. The location of shops in Amsterdam in the mid-eighteenth century 160 Sources and location patterns: A first exploration 161 The retail system in the city centre: The main shopping streets 166 Shops outside the city centre 169 Forms of accessibility and the urban grid in Amsterdam 175 6. Stagnation and modernization in Amsterdam’s retail sector, 1700–1850 178 Shops in Britain in the eighteenth century 178 The number and location of shops in Amsterdam 180 Urban improvement in Amsterdam 183 Retail trade practices in Amsterdam 208 Conclusion: Continuity and change in Amsterdam’s retail landscape 236 Appendix: Sources for the location of shops in Amsterdam and selection of sectors 242 Shops selling daily necessities: 242 Shops selling durable and luxury goods: 242 Shops selling daily necessities: 243 Shops selling durable and luxury goods: 243 List of consulted sources and literature 244 Primary sources 244 Bibliography 244 List of tables 258 Image credits 260 Topographical Index 264 In this study, the appearance and location of shops in Amsterdam during the early modern period is linked to major changes in the urban economy, the size and socio-spatial distribution of its population, and the structure of the urban grid. Not only is there ample attention for the spatial distribution of shops across the urban landscape, but for the first time it is also accurately charted what the exterior and interior of Amsterdam shops actually looked like and how they changed in the course of the centuries. Partly as a result of this, it has proved possible to give an impression of the ways in which retailers and customers interacted