Exactly 400 years ago, at the height of their global trade empire, the Dutch extended their influence and founded New Amsterdam on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. During this colonial development, Dutch artists such as Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals, and Jan Steen were establishing their own styles through character studies and snapshots of daily life. While these artists never stepped foot in America, they painted everyday life between traders, merchants, and more in New Amsterdam. The colony was, in fact, a center for creativity, but also one of displacement and division. Indigenous communities and enslaved Africans were excluded from the seemingly diverse settlement. New York Historical brings together works from Dutch artistic masters to illustrate the complex social workings of New Amsterdam. —Maggie Turner