Kaart van de kust van Tasmanië 1799

This map of the coast of Tasmania was made anonymously around 1773, likely as a printed illustration. The lines and lettering were etched into a metal plate, probably copper, then inked and pressed onto paper. Consider the labor involved in making this image. The copperplate engraving would’ve demanded a skilled hand, someone who could patiently translate geographic observation into a precise, reproducible image. Mapping has always been tied to power, and this map is no exception. By charting the coast, the Dutch could claim ownership, turning the land into a resource to be exploited. The map's neat, measured lines mask the messy, violent process of colonization. It reduces a complex landscape and its inhabitants to a set of coordinates, a resource to be managed. In that sense, even a seemingly objective map like this one is a powerful assertion of control, made possible by skilled labor and a colonial agenda.