Gezicht op de beurs, te Sint-Petersburg 1847

Dirk Wijbrand Tollenaar created this print of the stock exchange in Saint Petersburg. The neoclassical architecture, reminiscent of ancient temples, reflects the ambition of Imperial Russia to present itself as a modern, powerful empire. But who benefitted from this image of progress? As Russia expanded its trade networks, it also deepened its reliance on systems of inequality and oppression. The elegant facades of the buildings belie the human cost of their construction and the economic systems they represent. Consider the labor of serfs and peasants, bound to the land and exploited to generate wealth for a privileged few. Consider also the role of merchants and traders, whose fortunes were often built on the backs of enslaved people. Tollenaar's print invites us to reflect on the complexities of power, and on the ways in which images can both celebrate and conceal the realities of social and economic injustice. It encourages us to look beyond the surface and ask: who is included in this vision of progress, and who is left out?