Kermisprent van de Amsterdamse courantbezorgers voor het jaar 1793 1793

This broadside, made in 1793 by Jan Oortman, is an illustrated poem dedicated to the city of Amsterdam. The scenes at the top depict bustling marketplaces, echoing the fairs, or "kermis," that serve as the poem's setting. In these scenes, we see echoes of earlier Northern Renaissance fairs. The crowded marketplaces can be found in the works of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Note especially his "The Peasant Wedding", where gestures of eating and drinking, similar to those found here, point to communal feasting and celebration. The need to celebrate, as depicted here, is not merely an expression of joy, but a deeper, more instinctual yearning for communal solace. In this image, the communal gathering represents an important sense of social cohesion. These printed poems and images become artifacts that continue to resonate with our collective memory.