De onderzoeker Beekman 1876 - 1893

Albert Quantin printed this colorful lithograph, "De onderzoeker Beekman," sometime in the late 19th century in Paris. It's a series of vignettes recounting the adventures of Beekman. We see him in a variety of situations, each framed like panels in a comic strip. The narrative unfolds with Beekman interacting with local villagers, facing the perils of the wild, and even riding an ostrich. The images, rendered in a somewhat humorous fashion, evoke a sense of colonial adventure narratives. Beekman's exploration, however, is also about the cultural gaze of the colonizer and the impact on local populations. How do we read Beekman’s interactions through a lens of power and representation? Are these scenes a romanticized view of exploration, or do they hint at the more complex realities of cultural exchange and colonial impact? The print invites us to consider the narratives we tell ourselves about exploration.