The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam possesses an extensive collection of items on the history of the Netherlands. The Frederik Muller collection is currently one of the most important and extensive sources of pictures and images on the history of the Netherlands from the earliest history of the Netherlands up until around 1880. The collection – also known as the atlas -  was compiled between 1850 and 1880 by the bookseller, publisher and collector from Amsterdam, Frederik Muller.

Most important acquisition
In 1881, the atlas was acquired by the Dutch State and was placed in the Rijksmuseum. In obtaining the Atlas Frederik Muller, the Rijksmuseum acquired one of the most important, if not the most important, collection of historical prints in the Netherlands. In 1881, the management spoke of the most important acquisition since the beginning of the 19th century. 

Very extensive and diverse
The collection is very diverse from various points of view. The collection consists mainly of loose prints by Dutch and international artists but there are also drawings and a small number of photographs. An important part of the collection consists of the bound works containing more than 100 illustrated publications and sheets. The collection has work by renowned Dutch artists from the Golden Age as well as very rare anonymous prints that are often unique to this collection. The original core collection has been continuously expanded and complemented with new additions in the years following the acquisition.