Deputatie uit de Doelen naar burgemeester Hooft, 1787 1787 - 1789

Noach van der Meer the Younger created this print called "Deputation from the Doelen to Mayor Hooft" in 1787 using etching. This Dutch artwork documents a key moment of political upheaval. We see armed citizen militia, called "Patriots", confronting the Mayor of Amsterdam to demand more representation in the city government. This was a tense moment of negotiation and conflict between the old order and the new. In the late 18th century, the Dutch Republic was fraught by internal divisions. On one side were the Orangists, loyal to the Stadtholder. On the other, the Patriots, who sought democratic reforms. Images such as this one reflect the wider cultural shifts in Dutch society. The Patriots drew inspiration from the American Revolution, so they were often critical of established institutions. Historians would use pamphlets, newspapers, and other archival sources to better understand the politics of imagery and the social conditions that shaped artistic production in the Dutch Republic.