History

Amsterdam Lettering and Typography Through the Ages

A remarkable digital archive highlights 150 years of lettering and typography in the Dutch capital.

Better Letters

Apr 2, 2026 • 7 min read

J.D. Dieker’s mineral water factory in Amsterdam in 1891.

Since 2019, Arno Verweij has been documenting Dutch lettering and typography via his daily posts to the Amsterdam Typography and Netherlands Typography websites. His work now constitutes a significant archive, with over 4,000 photographs across the two sites. These are mapped and accompanied by descriptive data that enriches the raw photographic material.

Coinciding with city of Amsterdam’s 750th anniversary in 2025, Arno used the digital image bank of the Amsterdam City Archives to seek out archival photographs containing signage and other forms of lettering. His selection now constitutes a special section of his Amsterdam site, currently numbering 1,850 images. Spanning a period of around 150 years, the oldest items are a pair of pictures taken by the British photographer Benjamin Brecknell Turner in 1857.

6 × 4 array of black and white photographs, with each focused on a piece of signage, ranging from shopfronts to mural signs and lettering on windows. — The archival photos can be browsed via the accompanying map, or by generating a random selection of 24 images to view.

Arno refers to the photos giving “an impression of the city’s rich history through the lens of typography” and there truly is a remarkable diversity of letterforms and media contained within the collection.

Here I have selected a mere 1% of the total (presented in chronological order) to whet your appetite. I also encourage you to browse the wider collection and discover your own treasures within it.

M. Oostmeijer

The 1877 destruction of the ‘Oostmeijer wall’ by students was a notable event, with this photo taken shortly afterwards.

Surviving portion of a wall with derelict land behind and then buildings behind that. The wall has a huge pointing hand painted on it and the name of the business (M. Oostmeyer's Confectie & Laken...) in small letters above that. — Amsterdam Typography 68 / City Archives 010094000753.

J.D. Dieker

Workers posing with branded carts loaded with the the products of J.D. Dieker’s mineral water factory in 1891.

The fascia sign and a closer look at one of the carts.

Goederson’s Meubelmagazijn

In many cases the signs aren’t the subject of the photograph, such as this one of a military exercise in around 1898 that happened to take place in front of a huge mural sign for a furniture shop.

A crowd gathers to watch a military exercise and a closer look at the lettered wall in the background. Amsterdam Typography 465 / City Archives OSIM00004004397.

Signs, Signs, Signs, c.1900

This turn-of-the-century scene shows that overwhelming volumes of advertising are nothing new. The abandoned building on the far left of the image is promoting a variety of bicycle brands.

Archival photo of an urban setting with tall Dutch buildings covered in a variety of sign types including murals and mounted boards. The apparently unregulated proliferation of these lends a chaotic atmosphere to the scene. — Amsterdam Typography 1413, 1414, and 1415 / City Archives 010094000736. Photographer: Andries Jager.

Albertus Wilshaus

This tea house embraced signs of all kinds to promote the goods available within. The photo is dated 1902 and presumably that’s Albertus himself standing proudly in the doorway underneath his name on the transom.

Full shopfront in a black and white photo with a man posing in the doorway. The shop has a "Cacao Suiker" sign painted along a panel beneath the windows that dominate the frontage. Above the window displays there are two transoms with "Koffie" and "Thee" painted in them respectively. There is then the business name (A.Wilshaus) painted in the transom above the door and, mounted next to this on the frame, a small tea advertisement. In the position of the fascia signs are what look like enamel signs for two cocoa brands: Van Houten's and Blooker. — Amsterdam Typography 312, 313, and 314 / City Archives OSIM00003004329.

‘Chop Suey’, Tuscans, and a touch of Art Nouveau among the myriad letterforms on Wilshaus’ shopfront.

Biscuits Fa. Wed. B. van Doesburg

This 1918 photograph captures a wonderful piece of biscuit (cookie) advertising, including a beautiful pictorial portrait in the centre. “Dem-Lune” is from the French demi-lune (half moon) and refers to the semi-circular shape of the biscuits themselves.

Amsterdam Typography 218 / City Archives 010118000054. Photographer: Cornelis G. Leenheer.

Wall of Brands, c.1920

Among the advertisers taking advantage of this prominent wall are the dry cleaners Tilburg and window cleaners W.H. Spiegel.

Black and white photo of a wall facing the entranceway to what looks like a church. The wall is almost completely covered by large hand-painted advertisements. — Amsterdam Typography 849 and 850 / City Archives 012000001933.

Windsor Castle

This oversized walking hand from around 1920 was just one of a series of similar sales promotions for the Windsor Castle brand of cigarettes.

Amsterdam Typography 404 / City Archives B00000032209.

Abdulla Cigarettes

More tobacco advertising comes in the form of this building wrapped in an advertisement for Abdulla Cigarettes. Below that are signs advertising the Frankfurt Trade Fair of 1925 and a radio appliances shop.

Amsterdam Typography 3 / City Archives 5221FO000014. Photograph: Dienst Bouw- en Woningtoezicht, Afdeling Reclametoezicht.

G. Landman

Also from around 1925, Gerrit Landman poses in the doorway with his eldest son, also Gerrit, while the window lettering advertises their Pavonia dairy shop.

Black and white photo of a building front with a man and toddler standing in the doorway. A large window beside that has a display of urns of various sizes and white lettering on the glass that reads "Melk Inrichting Pavonia". — Amsterdam Typography 406 / City Archives ANWQ00390000001.

C.L. de Groot

Not a car in sight in front of this large advertisement for the C.L. de Groot dealership and the brands available there in 1927

Amsterdam Typography 988 / City Archives 5221F2000837. Photograph: Dienst Bouw- en Woningtoezicht, Afdeling Reclametoezicht.

De Koestal

One of my favourite images in the collection is this one of an off licence (liquor store) photographed in 1943. Most prominent is the sign advertising Bootz Record Jenever, which could be sampled (literally ‘smell the cork with us’) for five cents.

Black and white photo of a corner shop with a few people, including children, gathered outside and apparently discussing the contents of the window display. Signage on the shop advertises "Bootz Record Zeer Oude Genever". — Amsterdam Typography 297 / City Archives ANWE00197000004.

Van Woustraat 243

Also during the Second World War in 1943 is this human-powered moving billboard advertising a jeweller.

Man pulling a cart that has a billboard-sized sign mounted onto it. Lettering on the sign includes "Jac. Lorist, Koopt, Goud, Zilver en Jeweelen, van Woustr. 243". — Amsterdam Typography 562 / City Archives ANWE00194000001.

Roxy Theatre

This novel piece of lettering is set off beautifully by the assembled cars and the grandeur of the building that frames it in 1957.

Black and white photo of a grand building viewed from across a canal. A few vintage cars are parked in front of the building that has a large sign that simply says "Roxy" on the frontage. — Amsterdam Typography 139 / City Archives 010009002409.

Habé Pelterijen

It wouldn’t be Amsterdam without some krulletters (curly letters), like these advertising the Habé Pelterijen fur factory and wholesaler in 1958.

Black and white photo of the view down a street with vintage cars and bicycles parked along it. In the foreground there is a large portion of wall covered with a square advertisement formed of ornate painted cursive letters. — Amsterdam Typography 836 / City Archives 010122022012. Photographer: J. M. Arsath Ro'is.

If you’d like to learn more about Amsterdam’s krulletters (curly letters), then Ramiro Espinoza’s book on the style is available from the BLAG shop.

Buy the Book

De Tijdgeest

Ghost signs in 1965, with layers in palimpsest. The uppermost portion of the wall advertised a manufacturer and retailer of soft furnishings, including bedding and carpets with the slogan De Tijdgeest (the zeitgeist).

Black and white photo of a derelict building whose facing wall is covered with numerous painted signs that are faded and overlapping with earlier signs. — Amsterdam Typography 746 / City Archives 010122011079.

Beeld Stroom Aorta Kunst!

These wedge-shaped signs were promoting the Beeldstroom (stream of images) exhibition at the Aorta gallery in 1982. (Kunst translates to art.)

Low-rise building with home-made signs above that say "Beeld", "Stroom", "Aorta", and "Kunst" respectively. — Amsterdam Typography 258 / City Archives 010122014577. Photographer: Martin Alberts.

De Nieuwe Stek

And, to finish up, some more curly letters (fascia and window) for this café photographed in 2002. The lettered name translates as ‘The New Place’.

Thank you to Arno Verweij for sharing these wonderful archival images. Be sure to browse his sites (Amsterdam and Netherlands), and their accompanying maps, for more Dutch delights. Arno also sends out periodic emails via his mailing list and each site also has an RSS feed (Amsterdam and Netherlands) that you can use to follow updates. (Learn more about RSS feeds.)