Portret van Willem III, koning der Nederlanden 1887 - 1889

This is a print of Willem III, King of the Netherlands, made by E. & A. Tilly, and preserved at the Rijksmuseum. Prints such as this one, costing 10 cents, played an important role in shaping the image of national leaders in the late 19th century. This portrait, reproduced from an original, offered a widely accessible image of the monarch. Its visual language is telling: Willem is framed in an oval, suggesting a classical bust, and then surrounded by what looks like a heraldic shield. This carefully balances tradition and modernity, representing the king as both a figure of historical lineage and a contemporary leader. Understanding the social function of such an image requires us to look into the popular press of the time, the institutions of state and the social forces that shaped the idea of Dutch nationhood. Only through such research can we fully appreciate the role this image played in its time.