We see a section of buildings on the Lijnbaansgracht, near the old town wall in Amsterdam’s Jordaan. The canal is named after the ropewalk that once stood here. The people in this painting, pictured where Lijnbaansgracht 74-76 now stands, will hardly have recognised the town wall. This is a crowded, densely populated neighbourhood. Below, the poorest live in damp cellars. Those with even less money live in the backyard. It is not unusual for entire families to live in a single room.