Portret van Guy-Victor Duperré 1844

This is an undated portrait of Guy-Victor Duperré by A. Houchard, made using an unspecified printmaking technique. Here, Duperré is immortalized through the traditional, masculine visual language associated with military prowess. Yet, it’s important to consider the broader historical context of maritime power and its entanglement with colonialism and slavery, which often go unacknowledged. The image is both a celebration of individual achievement and a reinforcement of a hierarchical social order. As we look at Duperré, can we also consider the countless unnamed individuals whose labor and lives were impacted by the very system that enabled his rise? It invites us to consider whose stories are told and whose are left out in the grand narratives of history.