Lidmaatschapskaart van J.C. Austen van de Vaderlandsche Sociëteit te Middelburg, 1798 1798

This is a membership card for J.C. Austen, a member of the Vaderlandsche Sociëteit, a patriotic society in Middelburg, the Netherlands. The card was created by Izaak Jansz. de Wit in 1798 and includes a variety of symbolic elements, including a quill pen, an open book, and a laurel wreath, representing knowledge, learning, and victory. The card is housed in the Rijksmuseum and is a prime example of 18th-century Dutch graphic art.