Achtste blad met handtekeningen, 1830 1830 - 1837

This is the eighth page of signatures from a guestbook, dating back to 1830, and created by an anonymous artist. The signatures commemorate attendees of a feast. The guestbook, a familiar object today, was then a marker of social status, a way of recording and celebrating networks of influence in the Netherlands. The careful script and the act of signing itself speaks to the importance of social rituals and the construction of identity within a specific social milieu. Who were these individuals? Were they political figures, artists, or members of the merchant class? Understanding this image requires us to delve into the social history of the time. By consulting archival records, genealogical databases, and period newspapers, we can begin to piece together the identities of these signatories and the nature of the event they attended. This page isn't just a list of names, it's a portal into the social and cultural dynamics of 19th-century Dutch society.