Kunstnijverheidstentoonstelling in het Paleis voor Volksvlijt te Amsterdam 1877 1877

This commemorative medal was created in 1877 by Salomon de Vries in honor of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition in Amsterdam. It’s fascinating to consider how institutions like world fairs and museums shaped artistic production in the 19th century. The medal depicts King William III, who served as the patron of the exhibition, alongside an image of the Palace of People's Diligence, which housed the event. This event was designed to showcase Dutch achievements in applied arts and industry. But beyond the celebration, these exhibitions also reflected social tensions, particularly around labor and industrialization. Who benefited from these advancements, and at what cost? Were they truly accessible to all people? To fully understand this medal, we might delve into archival records of the exhibition, studies of Dutch industrial history, and critical analyses of the era’s artistic institutions. In doing so, we gain a deeper understanding of the social and institutional forces that shaped this small but revealing object.