This is a copy of the Dagblad van 's Gravenhage, a newspaper printed in the Hague on Friday, November 30, 1838. As with all newspapers, it was made through a combination of typesetting, ink, and the printing press. Consider all the labor involved in the production process: from the making of paper out of pulped rags, to the skilled work of setting the type, one letter at a time. The inky impressions would have been made by a large, manually operated press, the kind that was beginning to give way to steam-powered mechanization at this time. What kind of social life did this newspaper enter upon its printing? Who was able to read it? In what spaces was it read, and what opinions did it help to shape? These may seem like obvious questions, but it is important to remember that even a seemingly ephemeral object like a newspaper has a complex history, and is best understood by considering the material, making, and context of its production.