Allegory of America 1640 - 1687

Editor: Here we have Louis Licherie de Beurie’s "Allegory of America," created sometime between 1640 and 1687. It appears to be a drawing or print, maybe an engraving, depicting a triumphal procession. The material execution feels very delicate, almost fragile. What stands out to you about this work? Curator: The choice of medium itself – engraving – speaks volumes. It's not just about rendering a scene, it's about the *reproducibility* of an idea. Engravings were instruments of knowledge dissemination. This “America” is being packaged and distributed, a commodity circulating within a European system of representation. Notice the allegorical figures themselves, are they really ‘of’ America, or European fantasies *about* America constructed for a European audience? What labor went into producing the work, from the extraction of materials to the artisanal skills? Editor: That’s a fascinating point about reproducibility and dissemination! So the value lies less in the artistic skill and more in the message conveyed? I'd assumed "Allegory of America" was meant to glorify the New World, but you're suggesting it’s more about control and ownership through representation? Curator: Exactly. Consider how the materials used – the paper, the ink – were sourced and traded. And what's *being* traded is not just a picture, but a constructed vision. How does this idealized representation affect actual social relations and material conditions? Who profits from the circulation of these images, and what are they selling, precisely? Editor: I never considered it that way. Seeing it as part of a larger economic and political system makes me think about the true cost of these idyllic portrayals of America. Thank you for making me realize there is more than just a pretty picture, here! Curator: Indeed! It reveals the material underpinnings of artistic production and cultural exchange. Now, how might *we* deconstruct these kinds of visual economies today?