Bodel Nijenhuis Collection
The collection Topography of the Netherlands on the Memory of the Netherlands consists of more than 13,000 prints and drawings. The main part of the collection was compiled by the collector Johannes Tiberius Bodel Nijenhuis (1797-1872). He studied Law at Leiden University and received his doctorate in 1819. Two years later he became a partner at his grandfather's bookseller and publishing house Luchtmans.

In 1848, publishing house Luchtmans was taken over by E.J. Brill and Bodel Nijenhuis then focused on his role as secretary to the Dutch Society of Letters (MNL) and his collections. The collection of maps, topographical prints and drawings, historical prints, portraits and place descriptions could be considered his goal in life. Bodel Nijenhuis bequeathed his collection to Leiden University Library.

Prentenkabinet
In addition to the legacy of Bodel Nijenhuis, this digital collection includes approximately 2,000 prints and drawings from the Prentenkabinet's collection (prints, drawings and photographs). The main part of the Prentenkabinet's collection is comprised of a legacy of 21,000 prints bequeathed to Leiden University in 1815 by a lawyer and collector from The Hague, Jean Theodore Royer. The collection has since grown into one of the main print collections in the Netherlands with approximately 100,000 pieces that give an overview of the graphic arts in the main European countries from the 16th century until the beginning of the 20th century.