Jonge vrouw met een harp 1837 - 1854

Willem Frederik Wehmeyer created this print of a young woman with a harp, likely in the Netherlands during the mid-19th century. The image depicts a woman with a classical harp, positioned alongside a somewhat crude representation of what appears to be a racialized person, snake, thorns, and what seems to be a book and sword. Considering the time and the visual codes, this artwork likely reflects the social dynamics of Dutch society at the time, including its colonial past and the way it exoticized other people. Examining such pieces requires us to consider the cultural context in which it was made, to explore the possible socio-political commentaries embedded within the image. Historical archives and post-colonial studies would give us further insight into the artist's intentions and the impact such images may have had on contemporary audiences.