Vrouw uit Virginia 1620 - 1664

This print, "Vrouw uit Virginia," was made by Stefano della Bella around the mid-17th century, using etching. This is an intaglio printmaking method, where lines are incised into a metal plate using acid. The material of the print itself - paper and ink - is essential to understanding its place in the world. Printmaking allowed for the mass dissemination of images, feeding a growing European appetite for knowledge about the Americas. Look closely, and you’ll see how the etcher’s line defines the figure of the Virginian woman, adorned with feathers and carrying a bow. The very act of rendering her in this medium, translating her likeness into reproducible form, speaks volumes about the colonial project. It transforms a person into a commodity, circulated and consumed as information. The controlled, repetitive process of printmaking contrasts sharply with the life of the person depicted, highlighting the power dynamics inherent in the colonial gaze. It reminds us that even seemingly simple images are products of a complex system, inextricably linked to labor, politics, and consumption.