Kalender voor de maand oktober 1876 - 1924

Gerrit Willem Dijsselhof created this calendar for the month of October, now held at the Rijksmuseum, using printmaking techniques. Calendars, seemingly straightforward tools for organizing time, also reflect cultural values and social structures. Dijsselhof, working in the Netherlands, presents us with more than just dates. Consider the typeface: its bold, geometric forms evoke early 20th-century design movements, perhaps hinting at a move away from older, more ornate styles. The inclusion of sunrise and sunset times suggests a society attuned to the rhythms of nature, yet also one increasingly governed by the precision of the clock. It could be argued that the piece comments on the institutionalization of daily life and the politics of timekeeping. To truly understand this calendar, we could consult Dutch design history archives, social studies of labor and leisure, and records of printmaking practices to uncover the cultural assumptions embedded in this seemingly simple object.