This image of a picturesque seaside village with typically Dutch houses is in fact one of the earliest depictions of New York City. It is probably a copy after Johannes Vingboons’ View of New Amsterdam, dating from 1664. In this year, New Amsterdam fell into English hands. The text reads: ‘New Amsterdam or now New Iorx on the island Man.’
New Amsterdam was the capital of New Netherland, a multiethnic colony that was claimed for the Netherlands by Henry Hudson (who worked for the Dutch East India Company) in 1609. New Amsterdam was first settled in 1625 on Manhattan Island and it soon became a thriving port city in Dutch style, complete with canals.
After New Netherland was conquered by the English in 1664, the former Dutch territory was transformed into the middle colonies New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. New York was recaptured by the Dutch in 1673, but relinquished and traded for possession of Surinam in 1674. Among the articles of capitulation was the demand by Dutch governor Stuyvesant to ensure freedom of religion.
Remnants of the Dutch heritage of New York can be found in street and area names like Brooklyn (Breukelen), Harlem (Haarlem), Coney Island (Conyne Eylant), Wall Street (Walstraat) and Pearl Street (Paerl straat).
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