Barthold van Riemsdijk lived on the Pieter Lastmankade, that marked the southern boundary of the city in the 1920s. The eastern part of the canal bank was later renamed Jan van Goyenkade. Van Riemsdijk, a civil engineer, probably painted these views from his home.The painting above shows the temporary bridge over the Noorder Amstelkanaal at the Emmastraat. Beneath the bridge bathers are taking advantage of the temporary beach. The scene below shows the terrain south of the canal that has been cleared for development. The row of trees marks the course of the Amstelveenseweg. The stadium – on the site of the present Stadionplein – was to be demolished in 1929, a year after the Amsterdam Olympics.