Announcement of a Crossbow Shooting Competition (1649) - A. Kroon

A nineteenth-century photolithographic reproduction of a 1649 Dutch broadside announcing a crossbow shooting competition.

This print is a nineteenth-century photolithographic reproduction of a seventeenth-century Dutch broadside. The original document, dated 1649, functioned as a public announcement for a crossbow shooting competition held outside Amsterdam. The visual composition is divided into two distinct sections. The upper portion features a detailed illustration of the competition setting, complete with figures in period attire, heraldic shields, and the tools of the sport. The lower portion contains a dense block of text, printed in a traditional blackletter typeface, which outlines the specific rules, regulations, and prizes associated with the event.

As a piece of ephemera, this work provides a glimpse into the civic life of the Dutch Golden Age. Crossbow guilds were social and military organisations that played a role in urban defence and community cohesion. The text details the conditions of the contest, including entry fees, the nature of the targets, and the distribution of silver prizes. The reproduction by A. Kroon, produced in 1877, captures the aesthetic of the original woodcut or engraving, preserving the typographic layout and the illustrative header. The decorative border surrounding the text block reflects the ornamental style common in seventeenth-century printing, adding a sense of formality to the announcement. This print is a study in historical communication, showing how public notices were disseminated before the era of mass media. It serves as a record of both the sporting culture of the period and the graphic design conventions of the seventeenth century, rendered through the technical capabilities of late nineteenth-century photography and printing processes.