Gezicht op de Greendale Oak 1727

George Vertue made this print of the Greendale Oak, located in Welbeck Park, around 1747. During the 18th century, the English countryside was not merely a backdrop but a complex arena where notions of identity, class, and power were negotiated. As the aristocracy enclosed land, transforming common spaces into private estates, the image of the English oak became a symbol of national identity, deeply entwined with ideas of rootedness, strength, and tradition. Yet, this narrative often obscured the displacement and dispossession experienced by rural communities. Vertue's artistic endeavors were supported by the elite, thus reproducing the aesthetic preferences of the wealthy. The print invites us to consider how idealized images of nature can mask the socio-economic realities of a time, prompting us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are left out.