“Adrianus van den Eelaart. Distilleerderij 1e Klasse – Likeurstokerij ‘De Vrijheid’ Schiedam“. [Liqueur distillery Adrianus van den Eelaart at De Vrijheid in Schiedam] Colour lithograph made by Stadler & Sauerbier in Rotterdam around 1910. Size: 61 x 36 cm.
Around 1700, the herring fishing industry in Schiedam definitively gave way to the malt wine industry. At its peak in 1883, 3,500 Schiedammers depended on it.
Between 1890 and 1910, the Dutch gin industry slowly declined due to competition from modern yeast and spirits factories. Stagnation set in. At the Adrianus van den Eelaart distillery, founded in 1687, according to this Art Nouveau poster, still nothing seems to matter. “De Vrijheid” probably refers to the mill Van den Eelaart used to grind the grain for the gin.
The company was located on the south side of Korte Haven at number 29, as seen in the town view at the foot of De Vrijheid. (In 1960, the Van den Eelaart distillery merged with the Schiedamsche Alcoholfabriek.)
Price: Euro 750,-
