Gezicht op een plantage, mogelijk Rust en Werk. before 1859

Hendrik Huygens made this drawing of a plantation, possibly named Rust en Werk, in the 19th century. This image offers a window into the economic and social structures of the time. It likely depicts a plantation in a Dutch colony, where enslaved or indentured laborers cultivated crops for export. The artist’s focus on the built environment, particularly the large houses and the industrial architecture of the mill, suggests an interest in the power structures of the plantation system. The figures of the workers are small and their faces obscured, emphasizing their subordinate position within this social hierarchy. To understand this image fully, one would need to consult archival records, historical accounts, and perhaps even the oral histories of the descendants of those who lived and worked on plantations.