Description
The Little Street is Johannes Vermeer’s quiet portrait of an ordinary house in Delft, painted around 1658: a brick front with a stepped gable, a woman sewing in the open doorway, a maid bent over a barrel in the narrow passage beside it and two children kneeling at play on the pavement. The original, oil on canvas, is 54.3 cm high and 44 cm wide and belongs to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Our painters paint it by hand in oil on canvas in 8 portrait-format sizes, from 43 x 53 to 164 x 200 cm, or to your own measurement, and we send you a photograph of the finished painting before dispatch.
| Title: | The Little Street |
| Other titles: | Het straatje · Die kleine Straße |
| Painter: | Johannes Vermeer (1632–1675) |
| Year painted: | c. 1658 |
| Original size: | 54.3 cm x 44 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Baroque, Dutch Golden Age |
| Located at: | Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (acc. no. SK-A-2860) |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
The Little Street – Johannes Vermeer
What does The Little Street show?
We look straight at the front of a house built of red brick. Its top ends in a stepped gable, the windows are made of small leaded panes, and the shutters are painted green and red. The lower part of the wall is whitewashed, and a cobbled street runs past the door.
Life goes on without hurry. On the right a woman sits in the open doorway, bent over her sewing. To her left a narrow passage opens, where a maid leans over a barrel. On the pavement in front of the house two children kneel, completely absorbed in their game.
A vine climbs the wall on the left, and a cloudy sky spreads over the roofs. Nobody in the scene looks out at us; everyone is busy with something, which makes it feel as if we had come upon the moment by chance.
Is there a story behind the scene?
Not in the usual sense. There is no biblical hero and no historical event, only an ordinary day in a Dutch town: housework, needlework and children at play. Vermeer gives the brick wall as much attention as the people in front of it, and the house becomes the main character.
There is a personal story, though. Archive research in 2015 concluded that the house on the right belonged to Vermeer’s aunt, Ariaentgen Claes van der Minne, who sold tripe, and that the narrow passage beside it was called the Penspoort, the Tripe Gate.
So the painting shows a family house rather than an anonymous lane. Once you know that, the woman on the threshold and the maid at the barrel seem closer still.
Why is the painting so famous?
Because it is one of only three paintings in which Vermeer showed Delft. The second is the great panorama of the city, View of Delft, and the third is lost, so today only two of his views of his town can still be seen.
Look closely at the bricks and the whitewashed wall. There Vermeer laid the paint on more thickly, and the surface feels almost tangible: the wall has a weight and a roughness you sense from a few steps away.
Vermeer signed it “I V MEER” below the window at the lower left. The Wikipedia article tells more about the painting and the search for the place it shows.
Where is the original of The Little Street?
The original belongs to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, accession number SK-A-2860, and the museum dates it to around 1658. The canvas is small, 54.3 cm high and 44 cm wide, and it rewards a close look if you want to see every detail.
You can even find the place on a map. According to the 2015 research, Vermeer painted the houses at Vlamingstraat 40–42 in Delft, so for this painting we know the exact address.
The Little Street or another Vermeer?
The Little Street is a calm canvas painting without drama, at home in a hallway, kitchen, dining room or bedroom. It suits anyone who loves old towns, brick and everyday scenes, and anyone who has ever walked through Delft.
If a woman at quiet work appeals to you, look at The Milkmaid, pouring milk in a bright kitchen. For a scholar at his globe there is The Astronomer, and for a painter at work with his model by the window, The Art of Painting.
All the famous Vermeer paintings we paint to order are gathered on the Johannes Vermeer page. Of them all, The Little Street is the most homely.
How does our painter paint your Little Street?
Every Little Street is painted to order, layer by layer in oil on canvas. The painter first lays in the facade and the sky and draws the lines of the gable, windows and door with care, so that the house stands straight and true.
Then he builds up the wall. Like Vermeer, he applies the brick and the white plaster in thicker layers, so the surface catches the light. Next come the green and red shutters, the dark window frames and the vine climbing the left-hand wall.
Last come the small figures: the woman with her sewing, the maid at the barrel and the children on the pavement. This Vermeer reproduction carries brush marks and a raised surface that no print can give, and an oil painting reproduction like this changes in the room with the daylight.
Which size for which wall?
In short: 43 x 53 or 55 x 66 cm for a narrow wall, a hallway or the space beside a window; 64 x 76 or 80 x 96 cm above a chest of drawers or a bed; 90 x 107 or 113 x 146 cm above a sofa; 129 x 160 and 164 x 200 cm for a tall wall or a stairwell.
There are 8 portrait-format sizes (width x height): 43 x 53, 55 x 66, 64 x 76, 80 x 96, 90 x 107, 113 x 146, 129 x 160 and 164 x 200 cm. The original measures 44 x 54.3 cm, so our smallest size, 43 x 53 cm, comes closest: 1 cm narrower and 1.3 cm shorter. The two smallest sizes stay near the original’s scale, while the larger ones turn the small scene into the centrepiece of a wall.
As a painting for the living room above a sofa, 113 x 146 cm works well, because the upright format rises nicely above the backrest. Hang it so that the doorway with the sewing woman sits at about eye level.
Can I choose another size or a frame?
Yes. The original is roughly 4 : 5 in proportion, so we can carry it over to almost any upright size without losing the vine or the children at the edge. Tell us the width and height you have in mind, and we come back with a price and a delivery date.
We ship it rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or framed, and our workshop in Slovenia does the stretching and framing with the same care for every order. Frames are compared in our 3D application, whose one job is choosing the frame; a view of the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
A plain dark wooden frame suits the brick-red tones of the facade, while a slim gold frame brings out the pale sky and the white wall.
When will the painting be with me?
We start your Little Street as soon as your order arrives, and within 15 to 45 working days it is ready to ship. Before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting; if you would like anything changed, we correct it. No customs duty applies within Slovenia or anywhere else in the EU, and every order is covered by our returns policy.
The Little Street makes a fine gift for someone who loves old towns or Dutch art. When the size is better left to the person receiving it, a wall art voucher lets them decide.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
In the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it has the accession number SK-A-2860.
Which house is in the painting?
According to research in 2015, the house at Vlamingstraat 40–42 in Delft, which belonged to Vermeer’s aunt.
Is it a print?
No. Every Little Street is a hand-painted copy, brushed in oil on canvas by our painter.
How big is the original?
It is 54.3 cm high and 44 cm wide; our closest size, 43 x 53 cm, is only a little smaller.
Is there a size beyond the eight listed?
Yes. Send us the width and height, and we will tell you the price and how long the painting takes.
How is it shipped, and how long does it take?
We paint it in 15 to 45 working days and ship it rolled, stretched or framed; before that you receive a photograph.
Is it suitable for a bedroom or a kitchen?
Yes. The scene is calm and warm, so it suits a bedroom, kitchen, dining room or hallway.
Who are the people in the painting?
A woman sewing on the threshold, a maid bent over a barrel in the passage and two children playing on the pavement.
- Subject: a brick house in Delft, a woman sewing on the threshold, a maid bent over a barrel, two children playing on the pavement.
- Original: c. 1658, oil on canvas, 54.3 x 44 cm, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
- Ours: painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 8 portrait-format sizes from 43 x 53 to 164 x 200 cm or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: research in 2015 concluded that the house on the right belonged to Vermeer’s aunt.
