Vue du Lac Erié, Prise à Buffalo 1824

This delicate image of Lake Erie, near Buffalo, was created by Charlotte Bonaparte in the early 19th century. Dominating the scene is the steamboat, a symbol of modernity and progress, its dark smoke contrasting with the serene lake. The steamboat calls to mind the ancient motif of the ship as a vessel carrying souls or ideas across the waters of time. From ancient Egyptian barques navigating the Nile, to the Ship of Fools in Renaissance allegory, and even to the ghostly Flying Dutchman, ships have been deeply embedded in our collective psyche as symbols of transition and destiny. The billowing smoke from the steamboat’s chimney is equally evocative. Smoke has always been understood as a mediator between the earthly and the divine. As civilizations evolved, so did smoke, to one day become the smoke that powers industrial progress, forever intertwining nature with modernity. This is not a linear progression, but a cyclical return of archetypal forms imbued with new cultural significance.