Portret van Flavius Josephus 1778 - 1780

Jacob Houbraken created this engraving of Flavius Josephus sometime between 1698 and 1780. Houbraken, who was Dutch, was part of a burgeoning print market which catered to Enlightenment interests in history, science, and philosophy. Looking at this image, it's worth noting how Josephus is portrayed. He was a complex historical figure, a Jew who became a Roman citizen and chronicler. This image, though, flattens that complexity. Josephus is depicted with stereotypical 'oriental' features and dress. The image is an example of eighteenth-century European views towards the ‘Orient,’ a gaze imbued with power dynamics and exoticism. What does it mean to reduce a person's multifaceted identity to a set of visual tropes? It prompts us to reflect on how images participate in constructing and perpetuating stereotypes. It is a reminder of the gaze through which history is often mediated, and the importance of critically examining whose stories are told and how they are visually framed.