I found this lithograph print at the Haagse Gemeentearchief. It is a vintage illustration commemorating the 10th Dutch Language and Literature Congress (X. Nederlandsch Taal en Letterkundig Congres), which took place in 1868 in The Hague. The artwork is very allegorical, incorporating mythological and classical elements.

A sea nymph, riding in a shell chariot drawn by two sea horses, carries a net filled with the menu from the banquet held on September 1, 1868, during the 10th Dutch Language and Literature Congress at the bathhouse. The names of the dishes are accompanied by literary quotations.

In the sky, Minerva (goddess of wisdom) and Euterpe (muse of music and lyric poetry) float above the scene.

The background features the Scheveningen coast. To the left, the bathhouse and several hotels, including the Pavilion of Wied, can be seen, while on the right, the village of Scheveningen is visible.

Check it out on the online archive of The Hague.

What makes this print so fascinating is its unique combination of illustration and menu card. The illustration features allegorical and imagined figures, while the menu lists the actual food served that day, accompanied by poetic and humorous interpretations of the dishes. This makes the piece not just a work of visual and literary art, but also a functional object.

It also reflects how people in 1868 viewed animals and nature—as food, resources, or things to conquer and control. The perspective is unmistakably human-centered.

In my drawing, “Op Onze Coalitie,” I want to borrow this format—blending illustration with a menu card—but from a modern perspective. In my version, humans are not gods, and animals are not mounts. None of us is mythical, magical, or holy. We coexist.

Check out my drawing here

MEAL OF THAT 1N SEPT. 1868

There I entertain in the manner
Of the country, me and my friend.

SETTING UP OF DISHES

'Tsa men, get going!
Begin calmly! preferably with the descriptive

Amerikan Turtle Soup

The splashing of the soaking wet

Vegetable Soup

Imagine a pond raised to its brim
where the onions floated like flocks of ducks

Truffled sweetbread patties

Thus the walled sea becomes a mountain clump through the scorching

Tenderloin with vegetables

now we get to eat
This good fat hare!
Look, Pietje, look a hare!

Lamb ribs with mushrooms

- The curious lamb looks up happily,
And sticks its head in the iron mouth.

Crayfish in jelly

He sits there from all around by the light
Shining around, and squeezes his eyes shut.

French beans

Seek your image and your light in the plant kingdom

Roasted young turkeys with carrots

Fiat! cried the turkey cock
That blushes so much about his comb.

Salmon with “Salmagundi” says (plumber, Guido)

Saevis (according to others Zeevisch)

Emperor's Rice

And I see how that whiteness, With purple mixes.

Jelly of Rhine wine with fruits

A liquid, pure, clean, from light and sunbeams
Mixed

Punch cake

A large almond cake is also on offer.

Dessert of fruit, cookies, etc.

I call it sweet tendrils
"Here is something heavy, here is something sharp
Here is something dull, here is something tart,
Know that this is how it goes with books.

End

Outside, come on, outside!
Out there, the sea is roaring.

Wine

I am no son of the lukewarm Western shores!
My fatherland is where the sun burns fiercely!
Now drink, now drink my kid!