Nieuwjaarswens van de torenwachters van de Zuiderkerk te Amsterdam, ca. 1843-1846 1843 - 1846

This is a New Year’s greeting from the tower guards of the Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam, dating from the mid-1840s. It is a printed broadside made using engraving, a process where lines are incised into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. Engraving was a key technology in the rise of mass media. Though labor-intensive, it allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of images and texts. Here, we see a depiction of the Zuiderkerk, surrounded by Amsterdam citizens, along with a printed poem offering New Year’s wishes. Consider the social context: the tower guards, public servants, are using print to connect with the populace. The act of distributing this broadside blurs the line between official duty and personal expression, suggesting a society where even municipal workers participated in the burgeoning print culture. It reminds us that art and craft are always embedded in social relationships, reflecting the dynamics of labor, class, and communication.