Groninger studenten almanak voor het jaar 1914 1914

Curator: What strikes me is how this old almanac almost feels like a secret portal to a bygone era of student life. Editor: Exactly! What we have here is the “Groninger studenten almanak voor het jaar 1914,” a student almanac crafted in Groningen for the year 1914, made by M. de Waal. We see the delicate typography, almost whispering tales of youthful adventures. The portrait of the stern looking man on the facing page seems to imbue it with an aura of formality, don’t you think? Curator: Absolutely. Considering the socio-political context of 1914, on the eve of World War I, this almanac serves as an interesting artifact. It's a glimpse into student life before the storm, seemingly unaffected by the impending global conflict, almost naive in retrospect. The style of print reminds me of early photography, a way to show not only the person but also the background texture of the moment it was printed. Editor: There’s something profoundly melancholic about flipping through these pages, imagining students scribbling notes, marking important dates... and then suddenly everything changing with the war. It gives a heavy background of impending fate, considering the looming start to world war one, and this book’s relative simplicity, doesn't it? Curator: It certainly invites that kind of contemplation. Moreover, the "Vindicat Atque Polit" mention hints at student activism and political engagement of that era, though perhaps very different in character from today's movements. It underscores that students have always been invested in the political landscape. Editor: And that aged paper...it's more than just the material. I feel that there is beauty in its wear and tear; each crease and yellowed edge is its own way to write stories of survival. Curator: Indeed. These almanacs are historical objects of not just aesthetic value, but cultural importance, giving space for questions about identity, society and memory. Editor: It's remarkable how something so seemingly simple—a student yearbook—can speak volumes about a generation, its aspirations, and the world it inhabited, and one that soon would drastically disappear in front of its eyes. I would treasure it as I were someone there.