Sleutel en lijst van abonnees bij de prent Gepensioneerden in Chelsea zitten rond een tafel en lezen het nieuws over de slag van Waterloo 1831

This anonymous print depicts Chelsea Pensioners reading the news of the Battle of Waterloo. The composition is divided into distinct zones, with a header portraying the pensioners and the body comprised of densely packed text. The contrast between the lively sketches above and the regimented lists below creates a visual tension, reflecting a broader societal paradox. Note how the upper section offers a dynamic scene of human engagement, rendered through loose, expressive lines. This contrasts sharply with the rigid structure of the text which lists names and details in a linear, almost bureaucratic fashion. The work could be interpreted as a commentary on the impact of historical events on individual lives, mediated through the impersonal forces of documentation. Consider how the visual elements mirror larger cultural structures, embodying themes of power, representation, and the codification of experience. The work is an open text, inviting multiple readings and interpretations, resisting any final, fixed meaning.