Utrechtse Extra-Courant van 18 september 1788 Possibly 1788 - 1789

This news bulletin, the Utrechtse Extra-Courant of 1788, was printed in the Dutch Republic using movable type. Its very existence speaks to the complex power dynamics of the period. The Extra-Courant, published in a time of political turmoil, reveals much about the Dutch Republic's intricate socio-political landscape. Consider the details of this particular edition, printed in Utrecht, a city deeply divided between Patriot and Orangist factions. The paper itself, with its printed coat of arms, operates as a cultural artifact embedded in these conflicts. What does it mean to produce and circulate such a document? Was it a tool for disseminating information, shaping public opinion, or perhaps even inciting action? The historian delves into archival records – pamphlets, letters, and municipal ordinances – to decode the paper's meaning. The Extra-Courant reminds us that art, even in its most utilitarian forms, is always contingent on the social and institutional context that produces it.