Gezicht op de Wittevrouwenpoort te Utrecht 1773 - 1792

Hendrik Spilman created this print of the Wittevrouwenpoort in Utrecht sometime between 1721 and 1784. During the 18th century, the Dutch Republic was a major economic power, yet it was also a society deeply divided along lines of class and religion. It's fascinating to consider the identity inscribed in this seemingly straightforward depiction. Who was allowed through the gates, and who was kept out? What did the gate symbolize in terms of Utrecht's power, and who benefitted from that power? While the print is clean and precise, it also obscures the lives and labor that made the city possible. Look closely, can you see traces of those unseen figures in the details of the architecture, in the figures crossing the bridge? What untold stories might they carry? This image invites us to consider whose perspectives are historically privileged and whose are often overlooked.