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His drapery shop |
In his letters, Leeuwenhoek never made any reference to how he made a living, especially in the period before he began to work for the city of Delft in 1660. |
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St. Nicolaas Gilde |
St. Nicolaas-, Marskramers- of Koopliedengilde
marskramers - vendors who rented stalls, usually from the city
kooplieden - sales people who had shops
The guild's records go back to around 1400. By the time Leeuwenhoek joined in 1655, it had 513 members
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The cloth industry |
The chief uses of woven cloth at the time were clothing and sails for ships and windmills. The clothing made by this method was so durable that it would often last longer than the person wearing it and be beqeathed to heirs. The raw materials were high quality and the skills of the tailor (kleermaker) were extraordinary. |
