Vogels 1903 - 1919

This colourful lithograph entitled Vogels, or Birds, was printed by Enrik and Binger and published by A.W. Segboer in the Netherlands, and most likely produced as an educational tool for children. Looking at the image, one wonders about the cultural fascination with exotic animals during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when European powers were expanding their colonial reach. The presence of species like the bird-of-paradise alongside familiar European birds, like the robin, invites us to consider the cultural politics of representing nature. Were Dutch children encouraged to see themselves as connected to a wider, global ecosystem, or were these exotic birds simply trophies of colonial power? To understand better, we might explore how these images circulated. Were they widely available in schools or homes? Did they accompany texts that framed these birds in particular ways? By situating this print within its specific historical and institutional context, we can begin to unravel the complex ways in which knowledge, power, and visual culture intersect.