Cornelis Corneliszoon, a modest farmer and visionary inventor, put “Zaanse Schans” on the map. In the early 17th century he designed the crankshaft, which revolutionized sawmills.

His invention made sawing 30 times faster and more precise, fueling the shipbuilding boom of the Dutch East India Company. Today, Zaanse Schans, with its charming historic buildings, attracts more than 2 million visitors every year.

This breathtaking photo shows a hidden landscape just behind the Zaan women in their traditional costumes. The images of the Zaanse Schans are famous worldwide, but this print stands out. Not because of the iconic landscape, but because of the composition that shows these women in traditional costumes as they were worn many years ago.

Jimmy Nelson has captured a unique moment in time with this limited print. The combination of the beautiful Zaanse surroundings and traditional clothing is a celebration of culture and tradition.

I have something special to share with you. These images are world famous to this day. But not this image. Not this beautiful composition of these ladies showing the costumes as they were worn in these iconic landscapes many years ago.
– Jimmy Nelson

This print is part of the collection The Dutch Odyssey is a tribute to regional costumes and traditional costumes, selected from the book Between the Sea and the Sky, in which tradition and modernity come together against the backdrop of sea and sky.