Gezicht op Trafalgar Square en de National Gallery in Londen 1880 - 1900

Römmler & Jonas created this photographic print of Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery in London. This image invites us to consider the cultural and political landscape of Victorian England. Trafalgar Square, named in commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar, stood as a symbol of British naval power and imperial reach. But for whom was this power? The gaze of the camera implicates us in the colonial project, given photography's role in documenting and othering colonized peoples. Consider too the figures populating the square. Who are these individuals, and what is their relationship to the space? Are they tourists, locals, members of the British elite, or colonial subjects? The square itself becomes a stage upon which questions of class, race, and identity are negotiated and performed. This photograph is not merely a depiction of a physical space; it is a window into the complex social dynamics of a bygone era, inviting us to reflect on the legacies of colonialism and their ongoing impact on our world.