Nieuwjaarswens van de as- en vuilnislieden van Den Haag voor het jaar 1851 1851 - 1853

This New Year’s greeting from the sanitation workers of The Hague, for the year 1851, was printed by J.A. de la Vieter, using letterpress techniques. Letterpress relies on movable type, carefully arranged and inked, then pressed onto paper. The choice of this relatively mechanized medium is interesting, given the social message being conveyed. The print includes an illustration of the city and a long poem, expressing good wishes to the King, the government, and the citizens of The Hague. The sanitation workers, who performed essential but often overlooked labor, used printmaking to address the highest echelons of society. The act of commissioning and distributing this printed greeting carries significance. It was a way for the workers to assert their presence, their voice, and their value within the social fabric of the city, using the relatively democratic medium of print to bridge the gap between labor and power. It reminds us that all making is done within a social and economic context.