Uniform voor adelborsten op het Koninklijk Instituut voor de Marine, 1845 1845

Louis Salomon Leman created this print in 1845, depicting uniforms for naval cadets at the Royal Naval Institute. The print gives us insight into the visual codes of the Dutch naval institution during the mid-19th century. The uniforms, with their tailored blue coats, high collars, and decorative buttons, speak to a desire to project an image of discipline, authority, and sophistication. But notice the swords: naval power and military might are, of course, central to this projection. The Royal Naval Institute was an institution of social mobility. It provided opportunity for young men, who were typically middle class, to improve their social standing through education, training and service. It is worth investigating the ways in which class dynamics played out in this environment. Archival records and institutional histories can reveal much about the social context that shaped the lives of these naval cadets. Art, like this print, is always contingent on its historical context.