Dimensions: height 560 mm, width 660 mm
Copyright: Rijks Museum: Open Domain
This is a historical and time-reckoning table, conceived by the Maatschappij tot Nut van 't Algemeen, covering the years 1795 to 1821. The organizational structure immediately strikes the eye; a grid divides historical events by country and year. Columns run vertically, delineating geographic regions, while horizontal lines mark the passage of time. This layout isn’t just informational; it’s a form of visual semiotics, mapping the contours of European history onto a rational grid. The use of typography and line work is crucial. Each entry is concisely typeset, prioritizing information density. The lines, thin yet assertive, create a framework that invites comparative readings across nations. The table presents an attempt to distill the complexities of history into manageable, comparable units. The very act of tabulation, in itself, challenges the notion of history as a fluid, narrative construct, and instead proposes an ordered, categorized view of the past.
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