Gedenkstuk bij het vijfentwintigjarig bestaan van de Koninklijke Militaire Academie, 1853 1853

André Vermeulen made this print in 1853 to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Royal Military Academy in the Netherlands. It uses symbolic imagery to celebrate the academy and its role in Dutch society. The print features a monument topped with a lion, a national symbol of the Netherlands, supporting a banner. This banner displays military symbols and a portrait of King William III. The detailed rendering and neoclassical style evoke a sense of historical importance. The Royal Military Academy was an important institution for training military officers, reinforcing social hierarchies, and instilling national values. This print served as a piece of propaganda, reinforcing the academy's legitimacy and its role in shaping the nation’s military elite. To understand this artwork more fully, one might investigate the history of military academies in Europe, the visual codes used in 19th-century Dutch national imagery, and the social role of the military at that time. Through such study, we can appreciate how art reflects and reinforces power structures.