Walvisvangst 1845

This print titled "Walvisvangst" or "Whaling," was created by J. Schuitemaker in the 19th century, using etching or engraving. Prints such as this one were made to circulate information and stories to a wide audience. Whaling was central to Dutch maritime culture. Consider the whale itself: a creature of immense size and intelligence, reduced to a commodity. The scenes depict a whale hunt, showing the labor and danger involved in hunting these animals. How might the human figures, dwarfed by the whale, reflect the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world? This image serves not only as a depiction of a hunt, but as a commentary on mankind's relationship with nature, exploitation, and the stories we tell about both.