Dutch Biography Portal

80.425 persons
in 125.413 biographies

Contents

Collections

The Biography Portal of the Netherlands covers both old and new collections. The number of data collections and reference works will be gradually increasing. Some of these collections are more reliable than others. Currently, the Biography Portal gives access to:

Ongoing collections, alphabetical order

Completed collections, chronological order
 Other collections
 Future

In the course of time still more collections will be added to the Biography Portal. The following collections will be included in the near future:

  • Johan E. Elias, De Vroedschap van Amsterdam, 1578-1795 (2 dln, Haarlem 1903-1905)
  • H.P. van den Aardweg (red.) Persoonlijkheden in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden in woord en beeld: Nederlanders en hun werk (Amsterdam 1938)

 

Aletta
The Women's Biographies database of Aletta, Institute for Women's History, provides information about the lives of approx. 100 women, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries, who played a notable role in Dutch society or the former Dutch colonies: women from the women's movement, women who made a valuable contribution in their field of expertise or women who were the first woman in a certain occupation or field. As from 2006, the database is regularly updated, with new entries being added every year by information specialists of the Aletta Institute.

BLNP
The Biographical Dictionary of the History of Dutch Protestantism (Biografisch Lexicon voor de Geschiedenis van Nederlands Protestantisme, BLNP) provides brief biographies of 2.200 individuals, who played a role in the history of Dutch Protestantism from the 16th century up to 1978. The BLNP, initiated by the Church Historical Society, appeared in six volumes between 1968 and 2006. The entries are written by specialists.

BWG
The Biographical Dictionary of the Province of Gelderland (Biografisch Woordenboek Gelderland, BWG) appeared in seven volumes between 1998 and 2009, and includes biographies of more than 280 individuals, who in various ways played a role in the history of the province of Gelderland. Editors of the BWG were J.A.E. Kuijs, C.A.M. Gietman et al. The entries are written by specialists.

BWN
The Biographical Dictionary of the Netherlands (Biografisch Woordenboek van Nederland, BWN) consists of brief biographies of more than 2.000 individuals, who played a role of greater or lesser significance in the Netherlands or its overseas territories in the periods 1780-1830 and 1880-2000. Between 1979 and 2008, BWN 1880-2000 appeared in six printed volumes. Since 2009, the editorial staff, led by Jos Gabriëls, has been working on BWN 1780-1830. The entries are written by specialists.

BWSA
The Biographical Dictionary of Socialism and the Labour movement in the Netherlands (Biografisch Woordenboek van het Socialisme en de Arbeidersbeweging in Nederland, BWSA) portrays more than 570 men and women important to the development of the Dutch labour movement and socialism between 1848 and 1940. The BWSA appeared in nine volumes between 1986 and 2003 and was edited by B. Reinalda et al. The entries are written by specialists.

Compendium of office holders and civil servants 1428-1861
The Compendium of office holders and civil servants 1428-1861 (Repertorium van Ambtsdragers en Ambtenaren 1428-1861, RAA), published by Huygens ING, is an online database containing information about the members as well as the highest-ranking officeholders of the most important institutions of a representative, administrative and judicial nature on present-day Dutch territory. This systematic survey contains data on more than 12,000 individuals holding 25,000 offices.

DBNL
The Digital Library of Dutch Literature [Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren] (DBNL), founded in 1999, is an internet-site with Dutch literary texts and texts on Dutch literature, language and culture. In DBNL you will find works by persons who published in Dutch or contributed in other ways to Dutch cultural history. DBNL also publishes biographical information on these persons, derived from dictionaries and other sources (e.g. obituaries) whose original texts can also be found there. Thus, for many of these persons DBNL gives more than one biographical source. The Biography Portal provides separate links to each biographical source, so per person you may find more than one link to DBNL. This selection concerns more than 9000 persons. The number of links will increase over time, as they are periodically updated.

DVN
The Online Dictionary of Dutch Women (Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland, DVN) offers biographical information about the most remarkable women in the history of the Netherlands and its overseas territories from the earliest times up to around 1900. Only women born before 1850 are included. DVN was compiled between 2003 and 2010, with Els Kloek as editor-in-chief. The Dictionary comprises more than 1.000 women. The entries are written by specialists and the editorial team of DVN.

Glasius, Dutch theologians
Between 1851 and 1856 the Dutch vicar Barend Glasius published the three volumes of his Dutch theologians [Godgeleerd Nederland], a biographical dictionary of Dutch theologians of whatever denomination. Glasius wrote all of the 991 entries by himself, providing annotations, additions and corrections at the end of volume 3 (pp. 649-689). Thus it may occur that for one person there are two references to Glasius. His work was received with critical reserve because of the lack of notes and the arbitrariness of the selection. In 1978, the BLNP described Glasius’ work as out-of-date. However, Dutch theologians still is a rich source.

Jewish Historical Museum
On Internet, the Jewish Historical Museum offers biographical information about 400 Dutch Jews who played a role in the Jewish community, art, society or business life from the 16th century onward. The entries are unsigned and undated.

National Archives of the Netherlands
From now on the Biography Portal will provide selected links to the inventories of the National Archives of the Netherlands (NA) in The Hague. The selection concerns personal and family archives deposited in the National Archives. In the Biography Portal, such links can be found on the personal page of the person concerned, which will help you trace relevant archival material at the NA. Adding these links will be a continuing process.

National Biographical Dictionary
The National Biographical Dictionary (Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, NBW), published by the Flemish Historical Institute (VIGES), is a cooperative project of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium of Science and the Arts and the Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature. The NBW provides biographies of deceased well-known (and less well-known but otherwise remarkable) Belgians and persons who lived in what is now known as Belgium. Volume 1 appeared in 1964, volume 20 in 2011. New volumes appear approximately every two years. The digitized version of the first ten volumes, with a total of 2294 biographies, can now be consulted on this website.

NNBW
The New Dutch Biographical Dictionary (Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek, NNBW) appeared in ten volumes between 1911 and 1937, containing entries on 22.000 important or at least notable individuals in Dutch history who died before 1910. The NNBW was edited by P.C. Molhuysen and P.J. Blok. The biographies are written by specialists. Although the NNBW is outdated, it is considered to be more reliable than Van der Aa. It is the last Dutch biographical dictionary aiming at completeness.

Obituaries of members of the KNAW
The Obituaries of members of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) include more than 2.000 biographies of famous scholars in the Netherlands and abroad. These biographies, written by members of the Academy, have been published since 1857 in the yearly edition of 'Levensberichten en Herdenkingen'.

PDC
The biographical archives of the Parliamentary Documentation Centre [Parlementair Documentatie Centrum] (PDC) at Leyden University contain data on more than 5000 persons, who played (or still play) a role in Dutch national government. As the Biography Portal does not include people who are still alive, it provides links only to those deceased: 3740 in all. The PDC provides detailed information on the background and careers of all members of Parliament, ministers and State Secretaries, (colonial) administrators, high-ranking officials and advisors. The number of links will increase over time, as they are periodically updated.

Portraits of Protestants in ‘Memory of the Netherlands’
Memory of the Netherlands (Geheugen van Nederland) contains 2.452 digitalised portraits of Dutch protestants. The portraits are provided by the Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht and the Free University in Amsterdam.

RKDartists&
RKDartists& is a database of artists from the Middle Ages to the present. The database also includes information on art dealers, collectors and historians. The Netherlands Institute for Art History (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie) is responsible for the database. The biographical records provide core information and references to bibliographies, original works and sources. The Biography Portal provides links only to the Dutch artists of the RKD database and only to those who passed away: a total of 18.148 links.

The Magistracy of Amsterdam (1578-1795)
The magistracy of Amsterdam 1578-1795 (De vroedschap van Amsterdam 1578-1795) by Johan Engelbert Elias is still considered one of the most reliable sources for (prosopographic) research on the elite of the Dutch Republic. Its two volumes (1903, 1905) provide biographical data of more than 14.000 persons. The material is organized in entries, one for each of the 460 members of the Amsterdam magistracy between 1578 and 1795. The digitized version of De vroedschap can of course be searched for all the rest of the 14.000 persons.

Van der Aa
The Biographical Dictionary of the Netherlands (Van der Aa) appeared as a serial publication between 1852 and 1878 and was compiled in 21 volumes. The project was led by A.J. van der Aa and after his death carried on by K.J.R. van Harderwijk and G.D.J. Schotel. The dictionary consists of more than 24.000 brief biographies of Dutch men and women who passed away before 1878. Everyone was allowed to provide biographical information; the entries are unsigned. As a work of reference Van der Aa is outdated and thus unreliable, but is a gold mine for anyone looking for (literature on) forgotten persons.

Van Eijnden en Van der Willigen, History of Dutch Painting
The four volumes of Geschiedenis der vaderlandsche schilderkunst (History of Dutch painting) by Van Eijnden and Van der Willigen appeared between 1816 and 1840 as a sequel to the earlier dictionaries of biography on Dutch painters: its authors describe the lives of contemporary Dutch artists, but at the same time provide corrections and additions to the works of their predecessors (Houbraken, Van Gool). Eventually, this 19th-century encyclopedia came to include more than 1500 entries on artists from the earliest times up to 1840. The information is based on oral history and data obtained from archives.

Van Gool, New theatre of Dutch Painters
The New theatre of Dutch painters [Nieuwe schouburg der Nederlandsche kunstschilders en schilderessen] provides factual information about the lives, education and work of 914 Dutch artists born between 1630 en 1725. In describing their life and work, Van Gool not only wanted to honour the painters, but to exemplify them as well for future generations. Van Gool started writing his book in 1747 or 1748. He obtained his information from the artists themselves and other informants (relatives, descendants) and by consulting archives, art collections and auction catalogues.

Weyerman, De levensbeschryvingen der Nederlandsche konstschilders en konstschilderessen
The four volumes of Levensbeschryvingen der Nederlandsche konstschilders en konstschilderessen [Lives of Dutch painters] by Jacob Campo Weyerman appeared between 1729 and 1769. Weyerman, a painter, ‘grub-street’ writer and satirist, describes the lives of 867 mainly Dutch painters, including his own. Because of the many salient and amusing details he provides, he is considered a gossip and therefore assumed to be unreliable. For more information, see A.J.M. Broos, Tussen zwart en ultramarijn. De levens van schilders beschreven door Jacob Campo Weyerman (Amsterdam 1990). Weyermans Levensbeschryvingen were digitalized by the Department of Digital Special Collections of the University of Utrecht.

Wikipedia
Wikipedia is an online dictionary put together by volunteers. Anyone with access to the Internet can add information to an article. For this reason, the information on Wikipedia is changeable and its reliability variable. The Biography Portal provides links only to those biographical articles in Wikipedia if the person concerned also has one or more other entries in the Portal.

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