Austria, from "Court Game of Geography" 1838 - 1855

This is a card from the "Court Game of Geography," crafted by William and Henry Rock in the 19th century. At first glance, the card presents a geographical map of Austria, overlaid with a playful arrangement of red hearts. The visual tension between the precision of cartography and the whimsy of the hearts disrupts conventional ways of seeing national identity. The heart, a symbol of love and unity, is repeated like a motif, challenging the fixed idea of national borders. The Rock brothers deconstruct traditional notions of nationhood. Through the juxtaposition of geographic accuracy and symbolic hearts, they challenge the established meanings of maps, suggesting that borders are not just lines on a map but are also emotional and cultural constructs. This interplay invites a re-evaluation of how we perceive geopolitical spaces.