Pamflet bij het tweede eeuwfeest van het Athenaeum Illustre te Amsterdam, 1832

This Pamphlet celebrating the second centenary of Amsterdam’s Athenaeum Illustre was printed in 1832 by the widow C. Kok-van Kolm. The image speaks to the important role of institutions of learning in shaping civic identity during this period of Dutch history. The Athenaeum Illustre, founded in 1632, offered higher education in Amsterdam. By the nineteenth century, the school was a well-established institution that catered to the city's elite. This commemorative pamphlet suggests the way that the Athenaeum's history and traditions were being used to cultivate a sense of shared culture. Note that it was printed by a woman, which may say something about the Athenaeum’s relation to questions of gender and civic participation. To properly understand the cultural work done by this image, the historian needs to research the Athenaeum’s role in Amsterdam’s intellectual life, its social composition, and its relationship to the city government.