Gedenkplaat ter ere van de inhuldiging van Wilhelmina, koningin der Nederlanden, in de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam op 6 september 1898 1898 - 1949

This commemorative plate honoring the inauguration of Queen Wilhelmina in 1898 is an interesting attempt at a historical infographic, made by an anonymous artist. You can imagine the artist, hunched over their work, carefully etching each tiny detail, feeling the weight of history in their hands. It's like they wanted to capture not just the event itself, but the whole lineage and context surrounding it. You can see a series of portraits of the House of Orange, important locations, and scenes from Wilhelmina's inauguration. It’s this mix of images that makes the work interesting, offering different perspectives on this historical moment. There's this feeling of wanting to document and preserve a sense of national identity and pride. Even though it is more of a historical record than a painting, it's still a creative act, a way of making sense of the world. I wonder how other artists at the time responded to events like this.