Ode to Johanna Borski | A headstrong woman

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Ode to Johanna Borski - Van de Velde

One of those extraordinary women of Amsterdam, nowadays only to be seen in a portrait in Museum Van Loon: Johanna Borski. Or rather, Johanna van de Velde, to call her by her own surname. Because quirky and special she was: after the unexpected death of her husband, the banker Willem Borski, Johanna Borski-van de Velde had taken over the business under the name Firma Weduwe W. Borski. She became an adept investor at a time when investing was not at all common for women. She had to send her assistant, Mr. Stoop, out every time.

Johanna also became particularly known for the role she played in the founding of De Nederlandsche Bank. In 1814, the bank was founded by King William I, but this did not happen automatically. Of the five thousand shares issued, only three thousand had been sold after two years. Many trading houses saw the bank as a competitor. However, the company Widow W. Borski dared; she bought the remaining shares and thus provided De Nederlandsche Bank with its starting capital.

Johanna has long been a familiar figure in Dutch history, exceptional as it was that a woman was so powerful on the Amsterdam stock exchange in the 19th century. Other aspects have long been neglected: the capital she and her family amassed was obtained, among other things, through plantation loans. In so doing, she also facilitated the system of slave labor.
In 1854 Johanna's granddaughter Louise Borski married Hendrik Maurits van Loon.

Gijs Schunselaar - director Museum Van Loon