Artillerist Nat. Militie 1835 - 1850

Albertus Verhoesen made this print of an artilleryman in the national militia using an unspecified printing technique. It’s now held at the Rijksmuseum. What does it mean to see a member of the national guard depicted this way? The image would have been made in the Netherlands, some time in the first half of the 19th century. With the Napoleonic wars still fresh in people's minds, the national militia embodied a sense of civic responsibility, as well as anxieties around national identity. The artist emphasizes the soldier's smart uniform and upright posture. But what's the purpose of this? Is it an exercise in national self-regard, a reflection of middle-class values? Is it a depiction of a new kind of citizen army, one that balances military discipline with civic virtue? To understand this artwork, we might look into the history of the Dutch military, the changing role of the citizen soldier, and the ways in which national identity was being constructed at this time.