Portret van Willem I Frederik, koning der Nederlanden 1815 - 1851

This is a portrait of Willem I Frederik, King of the Netherlands, made by Willem van Senus. We are not sure exactly when it was made, but it is now held in the Rijksmuseum. Consider the role of portraits in cementing power. Here, Willem is dressed in military attire, with a high collar and gold embellishments. This visual language tells us about the importance of militarism to Dutch identity at this time. To interpret this image fully, we might consider the history of the Dutch monarchy and military institutions. We could research Dutch nationalism and how this was conveyed through visual imagery. By looking at archives, we can understand the political and cultural environment in which this portrait was made and distributed, and assess its contribution to Dutch national identity.