Entry of Queen Henriette Mary of Great Britain, 20 May 1642, at Amsterdam 1642

Curator: Pieter Nolpe's engraving, "Entry of Queen Henriette Mary of Great Britain, 20 May 1642, at Amsterdam," stretches out before us—a veritable panorama of a royal welcome. Editor: It feels like a newsreel from another world. Look at the density of figures, the sheer labor involved in staging such a spectacle. I'm drawn to the livestock in the foreground – oxen, goats... Curator: A deliberate inclusion, I think. Nolpe wasn't just recording a parade, he was composing a portrait of Amsterdam’s prosperity. The livestock, the crowds, all speak to the city's vibrant economy. Editor: And the engraving itself—the material process of reproducing this image—would have been an act of celebrating Amsterdam's printing industry as well. Copperplate engraving made such wide distribution possible. Curator: Exactly! It's a piece of propaganda, almost. A carefully crafted image designed to impress upon the viewer the might and majesty of both the Queen and her temporary hosts. I see anxiety etched in those tiny lines. Editor: Perhaps the anxiety of maintaining power, or the labor it would take to keep this appearance up. All those animals needed wrangling, after all. Curator: Perhaps we are not so different now. Editor: That’s right, it is all about who gets a picture taken and how.