View of Kuching and River, Sarawak, Borneo 1876

"View of Kuching and River, Sarawak, Borneo" is a landscape painting by Marianne North, an intrepid Victorian artist who traveled the world documenting its flora. North’s paintings exist at the intersection of botanical illustration, travelogue, and personal narrative. As a woman traveling alone in the 19th century, North challenged societal norms, using her artistic practice to explore and express her unique perspective on the world. Yet, her work also reflects the colonial gaze of the era, capturing exoticized views of distant lands through a Western lens. This painting invites us to consider themes of exploration, representation, and cultural exchange. What does it mean to depict a landscape so different from one's own? What stories and perspectives might be missing from this view? As North herself once said, "Go your own way, and do not let the world think for you." It is an invitation to engage with the world on our own terms, and to critically examine the narratives we inherit.