Bladzijden met de voorspelling voor de maand januari, 1712 1712

This almanac page, predicting the events of January 1712, was made using woodcut printing. This process involves carving an image into a block of wood, inking the surface, and pressing it onto paper. The stark contrast of black ink on the off-white, fibrous paper gives the print a distinctive visual quality. The image, along with the symbols indicating feast days and astrological forecasts, speak to a time when the rhythms of daily life were still closely tied to both religious and natural cycles. The very nature of woodcut—its relative simplicity and reproducibility—allowed for broad distribution of information, at a time when printing was still a relatively novel technology. The visual language of the almanac, with its mix of imagery and symbolic notation, bridges the gap between popular knowledge and specialized expertise. It's a reminder that the seemingly simple act of making and distributing an image can be a powerful tool for shaping a culture’s understanding of the world.