Utrechtse maskerade van 1886 (eerste plaat) 1886

This print by Anthony Grolman, made in 1886, depicts a historical pageant in Utrecht. The procession is full of figures in 16th-century dress. The costumes evoke a romanticized past, a period seen as formative for Dutch identity. The uniforms and pageantry are, of course, performance, but also bring the past into the present. They allow contemporary social and political ideals to be expressed through historical allegory. In the 19th century, the Netherlands was still defining itself as a nation. Images like this helped to shape a shared sense of history and identity, particularly through the lens of civic pride and patriotism. To understand this print fully, we can examine the records of the historical society that staged the event. We could also look to printed materials, newspaper accounts, and other visual representations of this and similar events to see how these kinds of performances contributed to the construction of national identity in the Netherlands.