Fotoreproductie van een prent van Christoffel Columbus en Vasco da Gama met hun troepen before 1861

Curator: This print, housed here at the Rijksmuseum, depicts a "Photographic Reproduction of a print of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama with their troops," dating back to before 1861. Editor: The texture of this piece is immediately what catches my eye. It has that look of old, handmade paper and its surface has an aged quality to it. It gives it this sense of temporal weight. Curator: Exactly! Considering its likely reproduction through engraving, the work becomes about making this content accessible, as well as participating in shaping historical narratives of that era. Editor: And look at how the very pairing of Columbus and da Gama sets up an immediate comparison – what ideologies and historical frameworks were they working with when placing them in relation to each other? What biases were at play? Curator: Perhaps less bias and more celebration of colonial endeavor. Printmaking technology meant reproducing imagery across Europe became far easier – constructing visual legacies of power to embolden expansion and solidify colonial control through this very visible culture. Editor: Certainly, the images romanticize that very process. Though faded through the print’s process, we must acknowledge that images of conquest, printed or otherwise, have consequences. Curator: How so? As consumers and archivists of history, we also have the responsibility to deconstruct, examine, and challenge assumptions imbedded into pieces just like this one. We ought not view this print merely as relic. Editor: The contrast is really stark—a printed reproduction meant for distribution depicting men of power. It forces a critical understanding about access, consumption, and how those mechanisms impacted our understanding of global events even up until the current day. Curator: Yes, let’s carry these thoughts as we move towards our next stop... Editor: An essential thing to remember while confronting visual representation. Thanks for walking us through this one!