A personal photographic record featuring three winter views of the Boelen-Matthes family home on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam.

This composition presents a personal record of domestic life in Amsterdam, captured through three distinct photographic perspectives. The images document the exterior and immediate surroundings of the family residence located at Keizersgracht 756. The central photograph provides a formal view of the canal house facade, while the flanking images offer glimpses of the property during winter, showing the trees and the garden under a layer of snow.

The arrangement reflects the common practice of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, where personal photography functioned as a method of preserving familial history and architectural memory. The handwritten annotations beneath each print, identifying the subjects as the house, the view from the residence, and the garden, provide a clear narrative context for the viewer. The muted tones of the original prints, combined with the aged paper of the album page, offer a quiet reflection on the daily environment of the Boelen-Matthes family.

As a piece of social history, this work captures the specific character of Amsterdam canal-side living. The winter conditions depicted in two of the photographs add a layer of atmospheric detail, contrasting the stark, leafless branches against the snow-covered ground. The presentation remains modest, prioritising the preservation of place over artistic artifice. This collection serves as a primary source for understanding the domestic sphere of a Dutch family during this period, documenting both the physical structure of the home and the seasonal changes that defined their surroundings. The work is an example of vernacular photography, where the value lies in the authenticity of the personal archive rather than formal exhibition intent.