Lijst van de historische personages verbeeld door de studenten in de historische optocht bij het tweede eeuwfeest van de Utrechtse Hogeschool, 1836 1836

This is C. van der Post II's 1836 print, created for the second centenary of the Utrechtse Hogeschool. It documents a historical parade put on by the students. Consider the complexities inherent in historical reenactments. Who gets to represent history, and what stories are prioritized? This performance highlights a very specific, and undoubtedly, white, male, upper-class version of Dutch history. Consider too, what it means to perform history as a mode of both celebration and perhaps, unacknowledged critique. This print freezes a moment in time, inviting us to reflect on how institutions shape our understanding of the past, and the power dynamics at play in constructing collective memory. While seemingly celebratory, such displays often carry undertones of exclusion, prompting us to question whose stories are being told, and whose are being erased.