Acht kamers in Slot Loevestein en portretten van vijf gevangenen 1846 - 1876

Carel Christiaan Antony Last made this print of eight rooms inside Loevestein Castle, alongside portraits of five prisoners. Loevestein Castle, located in the Netherlands, has a history stretching back to the 14th century. By the 17th century, the Castle was used as a state prison, a place of confinement for those who threatened the prevailing political order. Last’s print depicts the stark interiors of the prisoners’ rooms, and offers us, the viewers, a glimpse into their isolated lives. It invites us to consider how power, politics, and social status could determine a person's fate. The portraits of the prisoners, each framed within the decorative borders of the print, remind us of the individuals who inhabited these spaces. By juxtaposing images of the rooms with likenesses of the prisoners, Last prompts us to reflect on the relationship between space, identity, and confinement.