Inhabitants of Amsterdam were asked to fund a golden carriage as an inauguration present for Queen Wilhelmina in 1898 by donating 25 cents each.
The socialists and anarchists fulminated against this project. Their spokesman was L.M. Hermans, chief editor and publisher of the magazine De Roode Duivel (The Red Devil). He had continuously ridiculed the royals in this magazine since 1892, and was imprisoned several times for lese majesty. The brochure 'De Gouden Kwartjeswagen' (The Golden twopenny car) was written by Hermans. He was also infuriated by the fact that all kinds of merchandise, including smelly cigars, appeared in the shops on the occasion of the inauguration. In the brochure 'De aanstaande koningsfeesten' (the forthcoming royal feasts), Cosmopolitikus argued that Orange feasts lead to stupidity and depravity. During Wilhelmina’s inauguration there was a false bomb alarm at Dam Square.
Read the various articles in De Roode Duivel :
‘De Laatste spruit van een apenfamilie” 1/8/1892;
‘Programma van de luisterrijke optocht’ 22/8/1892;
‘Nieuwtjes omtrent het verblijf der Koninginnen in de Hoofdstad’, 10/4/1893
‘Kronings-sigaren’ 5/4/1897
IISH call no ZK 17105
Read the brochure De Gouden Kwartjeswagen
IISH call no Bro N 463/14
Read the brochure De aanstaande kroningsfeesten
IISH call no Bro N 463/16