Illustration til "En Rose fra Homers Grav" i H.C. Andersen, "Eventyr og Historier", Bind 1 1870 - 1873

This is H.P. Hansen's illustration for Hans Christian Andersen's "A Rose from Homer's Grave." Hansen, born in 1829, lived in a time of evolving European identity. His work intersects with ideas of cultural heritage, orientalism, and the romanticization of the past. Here, we see a scene that evokes the exotic, a far away place filtered through a Western lens. A figure rides a camel, a symbol often linked with the "Orient," while another walks alongside, creating a hierarchical relationship that mirrors colonial power dynamics. The rose, taken from Homer's grave, perhaps symbolizes a desire to connect with, and maybe even possess, the cultural wealth of other civilizations. The image, though small, speaks to larger themes of cultural exchange, appropriation, and the ways in which stories and images shape our perceptions of identity and history. It prompts us to consider our own positions as viewers and storytellers within these ongoing dialogues.