Illuminatie van het stadhuis voor Willem V en Wilhelmina van Pruisen, 1768 1769

Simon Fokke created this etching in 1768, depicting the illuminated City Hall in celebration of Willem V and Wilhelmina of Prussia. This image offers us a glimpse into the rigid hierarchies of 18th-century Dutch society, where displays of wealth and power were carefully orchestrated. In the foreground, a crowd gathers, their faces obscured, their individual identities subsumed by the collective act of witnessing. This public spectacle served to reinforce the power of the ruling class, reminding the populace of their place in the social order. Consider the role of Wilhelmina of Prussia, a woman navigating the treacherous waters of royal marriage. What was her experience of such events? Was she a mere symbol of dynastic power, or did she find ways to exert her own agency within the confines of her role? Fokke’s print invites us to consider the complex interplay of gender, class, and power in this historical moment. It serves as a reminder that even in the most outwardly celebratory moments, there are always undercurrents of social tension and individual experience waiting to be explored.