Gezicht op de Lange Jan (Abdijtoren) te Middelburg, 1743 1746

This is Jan Caspar Philips’s 1743 etching of the Lange Jan, the abbey tower in Middelburg. Philips worked during a period when the Dutch Republic was a major maritime power, deeply involved in international trade, including the exploitation and enslavement of people. The composition—with ships at harbor, the still water—suggests a world in transit. Note how the tower, a symbol of both religious and civic authority, pierces the sky, seemingly unconcerned with the labor and exploitation happening at the harbor. The image provides a window into the economic engine driving the Dutch Golden Age. What stories are not being told in this image? Who benefited from the activity in this harbor, and who was exploited? By considering these questions, we can reflect on the legacies of trade, colonialism, and identity that continue to shape our world today.