Hippopotamus hunt at the Seekoei River Possibly 1778

Robert Jacob Gordon made this watercolor painting of a Hippopotamus hunt at the Seekoei River in 1777. It offers a glimpse into the complex social dynamics of the Dutch Cape Colony. The image portrays not just the landscape but the economic activities of the colony: the hunting of hippos. Notice the hunting party consisting of Europeans and indigenous people, including one who appears to be enslaved or indentured. The composition shows a river teeming with hippos and a well-established camp, complete with wagons and the Dutch flag, symbols of settlement and resource exploitation. As an art historian, the institutional context of the Dutch East India Company, and the way it shaped the land and its people, is important. Further research into the journals and records of the colony would reveal more about how this hunt relates to the broader history of colonialism and its impact on South Africa.