Prijspenning van de Vereeniging tot Bevordering van Vreemdelingenverkeer te Utrecht (1892) 1891

This is a silver prize medal made in 1892 by the Koninklijke Utrechtsche Fabriek van Zilverwerken van C.J. Begeer. It commemorates the Association for the Promotion of Tourism in Utrecht. The medal's design speaks volumes about the values of the time. The coat of arms, flanked by regal lions, and the laurel wreaths evoke a sense of civic pride and tradition. But who exactly benefited from this promotion of tourism? Was it designed to bring prosperity to all levels of society, or did it primarily serve the interests of the middle and upper classes? To truly understand this medal, we need to delve into the archives of the association itself and explore the social and economic context of Utrecht in the late 19th century. Only then can we begin to unravel the complex relationship between art, tourism, and the construction of civic identity.