Zeilschepen, een roeiboot, en een zeilstoomschip op open water 1880 - 1913

Henri Seghers created this etching, "Zeilschepen, een roeiboot, en een zeilstoomschip op open water," showing sailing ships, a rowboat and a steamship on the open sea. Seghers lived during a time of massive industrial expansion, so this image reflects not only the technology of sea travel in his time, but also the changing relationship of humans to nature. Notice the contrast in this image: sailing ships, powered by the wind, contrast with the steamship, a product of human ingenuity. The vastness of the sea has historically been the domain of explorers, traders, and yes, colonizers. Ships have always been a potent symbol of freedom and adventure. But ships have also been used to enforce borders, transport enslaved people, and wage war. Look at how the ships are small in comparison to the sea. How might Seghers be asking us to consider our place in the world? Is it to conquer or to coexist?