Buitengewoon Dagblad van 'sGravenhage, van Zaturdag den 17 Maart. No. 33**. 1849 Possibly 1849

Curator: Here we have a fascinating example of a Dutch broadside, potentially from 1849, titled "Buitengewoon Dagblad van 'sGravenhage, van Zaturdag den 17 Maart. No. 33," which roughly translates to "Extraordinary Newspaper of The Hague, Saturday, March 17th, No. 33." It comes to us from P.E. van Staden. It’s a print on paper, likely circulated widely. Editor: Immediately, what grabs me is the density of the text. It’s a wall of information, almost claustrophobic. And, ironically, even though it's meant to disseminate information, I'm kind of overwhelmed! The typography looks dated, the ink has faded into a monochromatic landscape, but one still brimming with implied details. It makes me wonder what was so urgent they had to print this extraordinary edition? Curator: These broadsides played a crucial role in disseminating news and official announcements in a pre-mass media era. Imagine people gathering in public squares to read or have someone read aloud the latest developments, whether political, military, or even royal pronouncements. Its date corresponds to a time of huge shifts across Europe. Editor: Absolutely. This one feels intensely rooted in its time. I get a real sense of the news being a living, breathing thing—more about immediacy than archival permanence, you know? I wonder who specifically the target readership might have been? You envision specific figures hanging onto every word during some anxious morning in old Holland. It’s the sense of urgency really. I almost feel it myself, even without knowing much Dutch. Curator: Probably those with the literacy to consume the written word in its traditional form! What is significant here are all the declarations and governmental messages about leadership embedded, because those declarations themselves shape perception and expectation. Broadsides like these were ephemeral by nature, their value lies in immediate social engagement, influencing discourse. It brings our modern internet to mind—quick updates that demand quick action. Editor: The text arrangement, how these small lines gather into large paragraphs, how all this pushes one downward... Well, it’s almost an optical representation of what this kind of daily onslaught can be—an avalanche of updates bearing down. The past frozen in this singular, informational snapshot. Curator: Precisely, and that’s where their art is, too. Editor: Well said! The feeling in this historical news item… lingers in memory now.