Spotprent op de talrijke interpellaties bij de opening van de Staten-Generaal, 1863 1863

This is Johan Michaël Schmidt Crans's 1863 lithograph, a political cartoon reflecting on the opening of the Dutch Parliament. Crans uses the metaphor of a brooding hen to symbolize the Dutch Parliament, with each egg representing a pressing issue. It's impossible to ignore the colonial undertones here. Eggs labeled "Negers St. Martijn" and "Suikerregeling" reference the Dutch colonies and the exploitative systems of slavery and sugar production. The presence of these topics in the cartoon suggests the Dutch Parliament was grappling with the social and economic implications of colonialism, albeit within a system that perpetuated inequality. The image captures a pivotal moment when the Dutch government was forced to confront its colonial legacy and the complex web of race, power, and economic interests that sustained it. The hen, burdened by the weight of these "eggs," visually embodies the tensions and contradictions of a nation at a crossroads.