Rotswand aan een water met een lege kano c. 1888 - 1893

Impi Backman made this image, *Rotswand aan een water met een lege kano*, using an unspecified photographic process. The photograph captures a rugged cliff face and still water, likely a scene from the Finnish landscape, which Backman frequently depicted. There's a stark stillness in the image, a silent narrative of nature's imposing presence, and the loneliness of human absence, save for the empty canoe. Backman, working during a period of Finnish national romanticism, contributed to a growing visual archive celebrating Finnish identity and landscapes. His work might be seen as participating in a broader cultural movement to define and solidify a sense of national belonging. What does it mean to look at a landscape and see not just the land, but also the silent stories of its people, and the echoes of their history?