Meet the Willets

Meet the Willets

Abraham Willet (1825-1888) and his wife Louisa Willet-Holthuysen (1824-1895) were the last inhabitants of the monumental premises at the Herengracht which is now known as Museum Willet-Holthuysen. Not only did they leave behind the house, but also Abraham’s large and valuable art collection.

Many a night on the town

Abraham Willet was a bon vivant, going out was a self-evident part of his life. He used to go to the theatre frequently and he often dined in town with his artistic friends. Willet also took full part in Amsterdam cultural life. At the centre was the art society of Arti et Amicitiae. Louisa used to go shopping with her lady-companion and she used to walk her dogs. It was unthinkably for a married lady to go out in public without a companion. At night accompanied her husband to concerts, plays and the opera.

Travelling

Prosperous Amsterdammers, like the Willets, would often spend the summer months out of town. As we know from travel reports, Mr. and Mrs. Willet-Holthuysen would frequently go on long journeys. In 1874, they moved into a country house in Le Vésinet, an rich village near Paris. Life overthere was much less formal than in Amsterdam, with all its obligatory visits and dinnerparty's.

Love of art

The collection is not only of high quality, but also very varied. Apart from paintings, Abraham collected ceramics, glassware, furniture, sculpture and more. This variety is extraordinary, because most Dutch collectors in the 19th century only focused on the collecting of drawings, prints and painting.