Hanger van zilveren tientje van Juliana 1970

Editor: Here we have a photograph from 1970 by Slotboom's Goud Import, titled "Hanger van zilveren tientje van Juliana." It shows a silver coin pendant, seemingly well-worn, perhaps even tarnished a little, resting against a plain backdrop. It feels... strangely intimate, in a way. What do you make of this piece? Curator: This is fascinating. On the surface, it's a still-life photograph of a piece of jewelry incorporating a Dutch coin. However, seen through a historical lens, it speaks volumes about the changing role of monarchy and national identity in the post-war era. How do you think ordinary people perceived Queen Juliana? Editor: Probably with a great deal of respect, I would imagine. Curator: Indeed. By the 1970s, though, while reverence remained, access to royalty shifted. Turning a coin—official currency, a symbol of the nation – into a pendant signifies this intimate appropriation. Wearing this, citizens quite literally ‘carried’ the Queen close to their hearts, altering its use. Editor: So, the act of making it into a piece of jewelry is the significant part? It takes something institutional, like currency representing a nation, and transforms it into something personal? Curator: Precisely. Photography also plays a vital role. A photo like this makes the pendant a widely viewed object. So how did this new mode of personal adornment and depiction reshape perceptions? That's one question this raises. Editor: I never would have considered the changing role of the monarchy! Now, I am more curious about how cultural symbols transform and influence how people interact with power. Curator: Exactly, and it demonstrates how even a seemingly simple object can reveal shifts in our social and political landscape when looked at critically.