This is a statue of Alida Margaretha Bosshardt (8 June 1913–25 July 2007) who was an officer of the Salvation Army. She managed to keep dozens of Jewish children out of the hands of the Nazis during WW2. For this she received the Yad Vashem award in 2004. In 1948 she began providing practical assistance to the homeless, to addicts, and to those working in prostitution in the red light district of Amsterdam. In 2009, two years after she passed away she was voted the Greatest Inhabitant of Amsterdam of All Time.
I was very moved by this statue, as it encourages you to feel as though you could rest comfortaby in its encompassing arm, and captures the warmth of Major Bossardt.
This photo was taken in Amsterdam in March 2024. As Street Art 17 has no time frame, I thpught it might be an appropriate submission to that challenge.
