Verzorgd of zelfstandig. Ouderen en de levensloop in Amsterdam in de tweede helft van de negentiende eeuw

This thesis centers around the question whether elderly people in the second half of the nineteenth century could lead an independent life and whether they could retain this independence as they got older. In order to answer this question, the image and self-image of the elderly were studied. Elderly people and their contemporaries formed an image of (in)dependence which may or may not correspond with day-to-day reality. This was examined by looking at the ideas of both nineteenth-century literators and the elderly themselves. Subsequently, these ideas were compared with day-to-day reality. ... Zie: Summary