1700 – Middelburg, Zeeland, The Netherlands

You’ll find this etching by Mattheus Smallegange in his New Chronicle of Zeeland, published in 1696. It gives you a good idea of daily life in the city of Middelburg, particularly the lively activity of citizens among the canals, quaysides and buildings. The Tall John (de Lange Jan) Tower stands out in the distance above the Abbey. Gerrit de Waal grew up in this environment from 1686-1711. I enjoyed researching his story and telling it in his memoir The Kite Flyer.