Gezicht op het IJ met Amsterdam in de achtergrond 1694 - 1697

Jan van Call created this print, "View of the IJ with Amsterdam in the Background," using etching techniques. This image encapsulates the Dutch Golden Age, an era defined by burgeoning maritime power and global trade, yet it is equally a testament to the labor upon which such prosperity was built. Call presents the harbor teeming with ships, symbols of Dutch mercantile dominance. These ships facilitated the transport of goods and people, including those ensnared in the brutal realities of the transatlantic slave trade. In the foreground, we see smaller vessels filled with anonymous figures—perhaps laborers or sailors—a reminder of the human element powering this economic engine. This brings forth questions about whose stories are told and whose are erased in depictions of national pride and progress. It is a subtle, yet powerful commentary on the complexities of identity, history, and representation. As you reflect on this scene, consider the stories it does and doesn't tell; it offers a glimpse into a world shaped by both triumph and profound human cost.