Het overvaren van de ketting in de Medway, 1667 1788

This print, made by Reinier Vinkeles, depicts the Dutch raid on the Medway in 1667. Vinkeles, active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, was working well after the historical moment he depicts here. The image is an engraving, a printmaking process where lines are cut into a metal plate, which is then inked and pressed onto paper. The fineness of the lines speaks to the engraver’s skill, and the capacity to render a wide range of tones, from the billowing smoke to the reflective water. Consider the labor involved, both in the depicted scene of naval warfare – the sailors hauling ropes, firing cannons – and in the production of the print itself. This was a time of intense competition for resources, reflected in both the subject of the image, and the skilled work that produced it. Engravings like this one helped to shape public perception of such events, turning acts of military aggression into enduring images. The print reminds us that even seemingly straightforward historical depictions are shaped by the materials and techniques used to create them, and the social contexts in which they circulate.