Kermisprent van de Amsterdamse courantombrengers voor het jaar 1854 1854

This festive broadsheet was printed in Amsterdam in 1854 by Dirk Wijbrand Tollenaar, to celebrate the annual kermis, or fair. Above the text, we see an oval vignette filled with the hustle and bustle of the Amsterdam market. It’s flanked by flags, a trident, and a caduceus – symbols of governance, maritime power, and commerce. The caduceus, often associated with Hermes, god of trade, has ancient roots. We see it in various forms across cultures, from ancient Greece to Rome, linked to negotiation and exchange. But consider its deeper psychological draw; the act of exchange itself, this meeting of minds and goods, speaks to a fundamental human desire for connection and prosperity. The kermis, a time of revelry and trade, becomes a stage where collective hopes and anxieties are played out. The trident is a similar example of a symbol that has transformed, the original meaning rooted in the god Poseidon (Neptune). It’s as if these symbols tap into a collective memory, a shared understanding that transcends time. They evolve, adapt, but their essence, their power to evoke emotion and shape behavior, remains.