The book shop

A crowd has gathered outside a bookshop and lottery agency in Amsterdam's Kalverstraat. It is 25 October, 1779, and the sale of lottery tickets for the 66th General Lottery has begun. Men, bent on obtaining a ticket, push and shove around the entrance. The eighteenth-century architectural painter, Isaak Ouwater, has depicted the event in great detail. However, Ouwater has filled in much of the picture with windows and the red bricks of the houses - a highly unusual composition. Ouwater was commissioned to paint this work by Jan de Groot, the owner of the bookshop and lottery agency.

Title The Bookshop and Lottery Agency of Jan de Groot on Kalverstraat in Amsterdam
Year 1779
Artist Isaak Ouwater
Technique Oil on canvas
Dimensions 38,5 x 33,5 cm