Marines laat een Afrikaanse man vanaf een boot Vlissingen zien 1804 - 1805

This etching by Reinier Vinkeles, dating back to 1804-1805, depicts a poignant scene of an African man being ushered off a ship in Vlissingen by a Dutch marine. The artwork, housed in the Rijksmuseum, offers a glimpse into the Dutch colonial past and the transatlantic slave trade. Vinkeles's meticulous detail captures the somber atmosphere on the ship's deck, highlighting the human cost of this historical period. The etching serves as a visual reminder of the complex and often brutal realities of European colonialism and its impact on the African continent.