The Little Street
Have a wonderful peek into what 17th-century Delft must have looked like
Johannes Vermeer’s paintings give us a wonderful peek into what 17th-century Delft must have looked like. The best example is his painting called The Little Street. The painting lets you step back in time... admire the street scene of Delft in the 17th century.
The Little Street
View of the houses in Delft, known as ‘The Little Street’, Johannes Vermeer, approx. 1658 Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Besides that, the exact location of The Little Street has long given rise to different theories. However, in November 2015, art historian Frans Grijzenhout determined that a building in the Vlamingstraat in Delft has to be the location depicted in the painting. At the time, the residents of the area including the Vlaminstraat were lower to middle-class households, such as butchers and carpenters. The house in the famous painting was the home of one of Johannes Vermeer’s aunts.
Van Grijzenhout based the location of the little street on 'the register on the quay dues', which contains a very detailed inventory of all houses, corridors and gates of the city centre of Delft. If you walk to Vlamingstraat, you will see that there is nothing left of the original buildings as shown in the painting. Please take into account the narrow sidewalks, the street is not suitable for stationary groups of visitors.
TIP: Across from the Vlamingstraat is the Voldersgracht where you find the Vermeer Centrum Delft and lots of trendy coffee places such as KEK Delft, Pleck Shop&Eat, and LOT. Coffee Boutique.
Also fun for you!
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Vermeer Recycle Project
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12x Vermeer locations in Delft
