A Store Full of Gapers

In the store, our eyes are immediately drawn to the many historical ‘gapers’ on display (e.g., fig. 1). These remarkable wooden heads with their mouths wide open have been the sign of drugstores in the Netherlands since the 1500s. In addition to the dozens of gapers in the store, there is also a colorful gaper on the facade of Drogisterij Boerhaave (fig. 2).

The objects serve as signs to indicate to people that they sell powders and pills. In the past, Leiden, however, probably had many gapers, but due to the passing of time, destruction, or demolition, these striking signs have disappeared from sight.