How Dutch Windows Represent the Fine Line Between the Public and Private Spheres

One of the first things that struck me during my visit to the Netherlands was that the Dutch are not too keen on curtains. Or if they do have curtains, they seem to leave them open almost all the time. So any passerby has a perfect view of the inside of a Dutch home, by day or by night.

On one occasion, I walked along a row of homes whose windows were v…