Ligging van de Britse en de Nederlandse schepen tijdens het bombardement van Algiers, 1816 1816

Willem George Frederik Heijmans made this drawing depicting the layout of British and Dutch ships during the bombardment of Algiers in 1816. At first glance, the aerial perspective is striking; it presents a comprehensive view of the harbor and the city, meticulously rendered with fine lines that delineate ships, buildings, and the coastal topography. The monochromatic palette creates a uniform texture across the entire image, but the visual field is divided into distinct zones: the open sea, the concentrated mass of ships near the harbor, and the structured cityscape rising up the hillside. Heijmans uses a quasi-scientific approach, typical of cartographic and architectural drawings, but here applied to a scene of military action. The detailed linework produces an almost diagrammatic quality, inviting a semiotic reading where each element functions as a sign within the larger narrative of naval power and colonial ambition. This combination of formal precision and strategic layout invites us to consider how the aesthetics of documentation can also serve the interests of power and historical interpretation.