Groepsportret van de waardijns van het Amsterdamse lakenbereidersgilde 1847 - 1932

William Unger made this etching of the Amsterdam clothmakers’ guild governors in the late 19th or early 20th century. It depicts a scene that happened some centuries before. During the Dutch Golden Age, guilds were powerful economic and social institutions. They regulated trades, set standards, and looked after their members' interests. Guild portraits like this one were a way for members to commemorate their association and project an image of collective identity, often with a focus on civic virtue. Here, the men are dressed in the height of fashion and wear the large hats favored by the Dutch upper classes. Art historians explore how the image creates meaning through the visual codes of status and wealth. Social historians, on the other hand, use archival sources to understand the guild's role in Amsterdam’s economy and its relationship to broader social and political structures. This helps us to appreciate how Unger's image reflects these institutional histories and perhaps critiques them too. After all, what is the public role of art if not to highlight the politics of imagery?