Portret van Michiel Adriaensz de Ruyter 1837 - 1840

Carel Christiaan Antony Last created this portrait of Michiel Adriaensz de Ruyter using lithography. Last worked in the nineteenth century, a time of burgeoning national identities and historical romanticism. Portraits of the past, particularly of military figures, served to bolster a sense of national pride. De Ruyter was a famous admiral, and images such as these were part of shaping and celebrating Dutch history. He is carefully depicted with the clothing and adornments that signal his position in society. De Ruyter's identity wasn’t just shaped by his role, but also by his class, which afforded him certain privileges and visibility in the historical record. Consider how the act of memorializing historical figures through art influences our collective memory and shapes national identity. It's an interesting question to consider whose stories get told, and how these stories reflect the values and power structures of a particular time.