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kader kleurschema huisstijlhandboek thonik © 2011 On the CMYK 50/25/100/0 CMYK 25/0/100/0 CMYK 0/50/100/0 CMYK 0/70/100/0 RGB 150/160/25 RGB 215/215/0Waterfront RGB 255/150/0 RGB 255/105/10 newsletter of the friends of the IISH 2012 no. 24 CMYK 0/100/100/0 CMYK 0/100/0/0 CMYK 0/50/0/0 CMYK 40/100/0/0 RGB 225/0/25 RGB 225/0/125 RGB 255/160/195 RGB 165/0/125 CMYK 70/70/0/0 CMYK 100/100/0/0 CMYK 100/0/50/0 CMYK 100/0/0/0 RGB 100/90/160 RGB 25/40/130 RGB 0/150/145 RGB 0/160/225 11 On the Waterfront 24 – 2012 Intro duction The Friends’ Day held on January 26, 2012, was dedicated to Women’s Work, a major research project for which the Friends of the iish ap- propriated the funds in February 2002. Ariadne Schmidt and Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk presented an overview of the enormous amount of women’s work that went into the project and the impressive results that have al- ready been obtained. A brief summary appears in this issue. As usual, the Institute’s recent acquisitions range broadly, from Essequebo to the Donets Basin, and from eighteenth-century Egypt to twentieth-century Prague. Members of the Friends of the iish pay annual dues of 100 or 500 euros or join with a lifetime donation of 1,500 euros or more. In return, members are invited to semi-annual sessions featuring presentations of iish acquisitions and guest speakers. These guest speakers deliver lectures on their field of research, which need not be related to the iish collection. The presentation and lecture are followed by a recep- Colophon tion. In addition to these semi-annual gatherings, all Friends receive a 40 percent discount on iish publica- tions. Friends paying dues of 500 euros or more are also entitled to choose Institute publications from a broad selection offered at no charge. The board con- sults the Friends about allocation of the revenues from the dues and delivers an annual financial report in conjunction with the iish administration. Cruquiusweg 31 The iish was founded by master collector N.W. Post- P.O. Box 2169 humus (1880-1960) in the 1930s. For the past two 1000 cd Amsterdam decades, two of the institutions established by this Tel. +31206685866 ‘history entrepreneur’ have operated from the same Fax +31206654181 premises: the Netherlands Economic History Archive socialhistory.org founded in 1914 and the International Institute of So- cial History, which is now 76 years old. Both institutes [email protected] continue to collect, although the ‘subsidiary’ iish has abnamro: 0555958892 grown considerably larger than its ‘parent’ neha. Ad- iban: nl69abna0555958892 ditional information about the Institute may be found bic: abnanl2a in Jaap Kloosterman and Jan Lucassen, Rebels with Editors: Jan Lucassen and Jaap Kloosterman a Cause: Five Centuries of Social History Collected by Translations: Lee Mitzman the iish (Amsterdam 2010). For all information con- Photography: Hans Luhrs cerning the Friends, see socialhistory.org/en/friends. Production coordination: Aukje Lettinga Design and layout: Ruparo (Ivo Sikkema) Printed, with generous support, by: A-D Druk B.V. Zeist Website: Monique van der Pal We wish to thank Bouwe Hijma, Gijs Kessler, Frans van der Kolff, Piet Lourens, Elise van Nederveen Meerkerk, Kees Rodenburg, Ariadne Schmidt Financial administration: Guusje Varkevisser and Tjerck Zittema Administrative support: Yvonne Bax Composition of the Board: Jan Lucassen (chair/ treasurer), Jaap Kloosterman (co-chair), Bart Hageraats (secretary), Wim Berkelaar, Pieter Jacobs, Bauke Marinus, Jacco Pekelder, Mieke IJzermans issn 1574-2156 2 On the Waterfront 24 – 2012 From All Nooks and Crannies When members of our collec- viet Union, Kees decided the tion development staff retire, Rumanian was an unlikely they often leave small legacies author of the letter. Yet he also that may be hard to determine. picked up a cue when he noted One such item was an unsigned Istrati’s involvement with the copy of a French letter dated fate of Victor Serge (1890-1947), July 1st, 1928, that was ad- the cosmopolitan revolution- dressed to Henri Barbusse by ary, who in 1928 was expelled Hier illu someone who had obviously from the Communist Party of just left a prison of the gpu in the Soviet Union because of Leningrad. The letter had been his links with the opposition van de found by Leo van Rossum, re- against Stalin. Further investi- sponsible for Eastern Europe, gation proved that Serge had in a book on Panaït Istrati. His in fact written three letters to brief van colleague Tristan Haan, respon- Barbusse in 1928, which would sible for France, suggested that be published on the pages of the letter might actually be by les Humbles (no 8-9) in 1937. Our Serge? Istrati, who visited the Soviet letter was one of them. Union in 1928. Since this was As Kees noted, this long all part of the collection of the story should probably be seen Italian anarchist Ugo Fedeli, against the background of a the letter was then passed on, certain type of akribeia. Separat- together with the book, to ing the letter from the book Rudolf de Jong, responsible for would destroy the context, but Anarchism. When he retired in as long as it remained unidenti- 1994, it was ‘inherited’ by Kees fied nothing definitive could First page of Rodenburg, who – anticipating be done with the book. Long Victor Serge’s his own retirement next year – responsible for Spain, Kees sim- letter to Henri now took a closer look at this ply recalled the saying las cosas Barbusse, 1 july unsolved riddle. de palacio van despacio – some- 1928 (iish Ugo Checking Vers l’autre flamme, thing akin to the mills of God. Fedeli) Istrati’s travelogue on the So- Twenty-forth Friends’ Day, 26 January 2012 Presentation of recent acquisitions to be a very far cry indeed from five per cent of the Atlantic economic history, and it is. The slave trade. The debate about reason for the purchase was the profitability of this enter- Two Sides of a Coin the print’s reverse side, which prise is still in full swing (see, One of the latest acquisitions of features a manuscript of the eg, the novel contribution from the Netherlands Economic His- Staat der Negotiatie ten behoeven Karwan Fatah Black, University tory Archive (neha) is a print van planters te Essequibo en Demer- of Leiden, and Matthias van depicting the Plegtige Optogt der ary onder de directie van Jan van Rossum, iish, in the Tijdschrift Begrafenis van Wijlen H.M. Frederi- Rijneveld & Soonen in dato primo voor Sociale en Economische Ge- ka Louisa Wilhelmina, Koningin der July 1785 [Account of the negoti- schiedenis). In addition, the Nederlanden, Geb. Prinses van Prui- ation for planters in Essequebo Dutch colonies were the site of ssen op den 26 October 1837 [Sol- and Demerara, supervised by hundreds of slave plantations. emn funeral procession for the Jan van Rijneveld & Sons, 1 July Those in Suriname were the late H.M. Frederika Louisa Wil- 1785] (neha bc 785). Two sides best known, but the adjacent helmina, Queen of the Nether- of a coin: royal mourning and Demerara, Essequebo and Ber- lands, born Princess of Prussia, blood money. bice (British since 1796) was on 26 October 1837]. This seems Dutch ships processed about another infamous slave colony 3 On the Waterfront 24 – 2012 (see On the Waterfront 8, p 3). ing and managing monetary which listed the interest pay- Even though this industry loans. Eligible plantations were ments for 1777-1795 (neha bc was highly profitable, financ- assessed by certified apprais- 266). In the new item we now ing the slave plantations was ers (“priseurs”), after which up have an excerpt from the ac- complicated from the outset. to 5/8 of the amount might be counts from the middle of this At the start of the eighteenth disbursed. These negotiations period as well. At the time the century a sugar plantation with may be considered the precur- negotiation concerned 36 plan- 50 slaves would have required sor to investment funds. This tations, whose main crop was an investment of Fl 23,000 case ushered in a trend, and coffee, although sugar and cot- (about € 225,000 today); sixty from 1766 to 1775 in Amster- ton were grown there as well. years later a sugar plantation dam, Middelburg, and Utrecht Their total value was estimated with 119 slaves, no less than Fl negotiations totalling over 10 to exceed 4 million guilders, on 100,000 (close to € 1 million). million guilders were issued for which the consortium granted In both cases, purchasing the Essequebo and Demerara. a maximum mortgage of 2.25 slaves would have accounted One was the negotiation of million guilders, of which 2.2 for 55 per cent of the total Tulleken de Vos & Comp, million was disbursed. The price, also indicating that the founded in 1767 in Amsterdam interest equalled nearly 10 per cost of slaves rose substan- and taken over by the firm Jan cent, suggesting an enormous tially. Amsterdam brokers for van Rijnen en Zoonen in 1771. risk. In return, the total output the products cultivated on the Our new chart from this negoti- of course had to be provided plantations were the main fi- ation lists as its most important to the consortium, which then nanciers. At first, they operated items the plantations and their auctioned off the products in on their own; later on, they set owners and their estimated Amsterdam.