Landschap rond Amersfoort 1851

Jacobus Ludovicus Cornet created this landscape around Amersfoort using etching. The Dutch landscape, especially in the 19th century, wasn't just about pretty views. It was deeply tied to national identity. After the Napoleonic era, there was a surge in celebrating Dutch heritage, and landscapes played a big role in that. This etching captures a panoramic vista, sunbeams piercing through the clouds to illuminate the fields, and tiny figures dotting the land. There’s a romantic quality here that obscures the labor required to sustain such a landscape. Consider the view itself: high up, looking down. Who gets to have this perspective? It speaks to a certain class, one of ownership and privilege. Though it's a beautiful scene, it’s also a constructed idea of what the Netherlands should represent. This etching invites us to consider whose stories are told and whose are left out of the picture.