Programma voor de begrafenis van Zijne Majesteit Willem II, Koning der Nederlanden (...) op woensdag den vierden april 1849 (...) Possibly 1849

This is J. van Bonga’s “Programme for the Funeral of His Majesty Willem II, King of the Netherlands,” a broadside printed in 1849 in the Netherlands. This document, a relic of 19th-century Dutch society, offers insight into the rituals surrounding monarchy and state power. Willem II’s reign was a period of transition, marked by the 1848 constitutional reforms that curtailed royal power amidst burgeoning calls for democracy. The elaborate funeral program, detailed here, attempts to solidify an image of royal authority at a time of social and political change. As a public spectacle, the funeral was designed to evoke a sense of national unity and project an image of stability for the monarchy in a changing world. The list underscores the rigid hierarchies of Dutch society. It is a reminder of how identity, status, and power were carefully choreographed and performed on the public stage.