Nieuwjaarsprent van de Amsterdamse courantbezorgers voor het jaar 1788 1787

This New Year's print for 1788 was made in Amsterdam by anonymous newspaper carriers, and presented to their subscribers. The image provides us with an insight into the social and economic role of news distribution in the Dutch Republic. The text consists of poetry, a common feature of these prints, and an almanac of important dates. Visually, the print uses classical motifs, like the Greek key pattern, to create an air of established authority, while the chained circles down each side perhaps allude to the interconnectedness of the city's social life, dependent as it was on the timely distribution of news. Made during a period of political tension between the Patriots and the Orangists, the print is revealing for what it omits. Studying such ephemeral objects as this print, alongside newspaper archives and subscription lists, helps us understand the circulation of information and the construction of public opinion in the late 18th century. It reminds us that the meaning of art and printed matter is always embedded in specific contexts of production and consumption.