276: Netherlands: The Maid of Holland
The Rest Is History
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The Art of Housekeeping: Dutch Cleanliness Culture
This chapter explores the cultural importance of housekeeping in 17th century Netherlands, highlighting how order and cleanliness were intertwined with Dutch identity and civic duty. It examines domestic routines shaped by Calvinist beliefs and the elevation of cleanliness to a moral virtue, especially among women. By discussing the historical significance of the Dutch maid and the celebration of domestic scenes in art, the chapter illustrates how housework symbolized both virtue and emerging bourgeois values.
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