Portret van John Locke 1752 - 1803

This is Christian Gottlieb Geyser's portrait of John Locke. Although the date of its creation remains a mystery, this print at the Rijksmuseum offers a glimpse into the visual culture surrounding enlightenment thinkers. The portrait captures Locke, the influential philosopher whose ideas about individual rights profoundly shaped political thought. As a theorist of liberalism, Locke advocated for concepts of government by consent and the protection of private property. Yet, it is also worth remembering the social and racial context of his philosophy. Locke’s theories were developed in an era marked by colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade, of which Locke was a shareholder. The image invites us to reflect on the complexities and contradictions inherent in the history of liberalism and the Enlightenment. It encourages questions about who was included and excluded, in the push for individual rights. It asks how power and privilege shaped the very ideas that laid the foundation for modern democracies.