Gezicht op Culemborg 1858

This is Johann Gabriel Friedrich Poppel’s “Gezicht op Culemborg,” a landscape print of Culemborg. Poppel made this print during a time of great change in the Netherlands, as industrialization began to transform the landscape. It is an image rooted in the visual traditions of Dutch landscape painting, capturing a tranquil, idealized vision of the Dutch countryside. Yet we must ask, whose vision is being represented? While seemingly bucolic, we might also consider the print's connection to Dutch maritime power and trade during this period. The waterways and ships depicted reflect the Netherlands' economic activities and colonial expansion, subtly referencing the complex relationship between landscape and identity. Prints like this helped shape a shared cultural identity. Poppel's work serves as a reminder of how images can both reflect and influence our understanding of place, identity, and history.