Koninklijke Almanak voor het jaar 1833 1832 - 1833

This 'Koninklijke Almanak voor het jaar 1833', or Royal Almanac for the year 1833, was made by Desguerrois & Co. The Almanak presents a detailed calendar year, segmented into months, framed by elaborate allegorical scenes rendered in meticulous detail. The composition is rigidly structured, with each month allocated a neat column. Above and below are friezes populated with figures and symbols of royalty. The overall design reflects a period grappling with new modes of social organization. The Almanak employs a semiotic system, where images function as signs, communicating not just dates but also the values and aspirations of a society under monarchical rule. The formal structure, juxtaposing precise calendrical data with artistic representations, emphasizes the tension between the desire for order and the more fluid aspects of social life. It’s an aesthetic strategy that seeks to stabilize and harmonize disparate elements into a unified vision of time and society.