Menigte bij een toespraak van de Engelse consul A. Mensch in Johannesburg 1896

This photograph by Davies Bros. captures the English consul A. Mensch addressing a crowd in Johannesburg. The photograph is dominated by the figure of the consul, elevated to a higher plane so that he can address the crowd. This motif of the speaker harkens back to ancient Greece, where orators stood on elevated platforms to address citizens in the agora. The balcony behind the consul, teeming with spectators, reminds us of the stage in a theatre, where dramas of power and persuasion unfold. We observe the masses as the backdrop for the spectacle of leadership. Consider, too, the parasol shielding a figure from the sun—a symbol of status, a barrier against the raw power of nature. This symbol has traversed time, appearing in ancient Egyptian art as a sign of royalty, and in Asian cultures, as a marker of divine right. Here, it speaks to the consul’s authority, yet it also hints at vulnerability, the need for protection from the very elements that sustain the common man. These visual cues evoke a sense of hierarchy. This image is another example of how symbols endure and transform, mirroring our deepest collective memories and anxieties.