Gestrande walvis bij Berckhey, 1598 1679 - 1681

This etching by Gilliam van der Gouwen, dating from 1598, shows a beached whale at Berckhey, and the local population making use of it. The printmaking process itself would have involved labor. Gouwen would have first made an incision on a metal plate, carefully carving the image in reverse. Ink was then applied, and the plate pressed onto paper, transferring the image. This repeatable process allowed for a relatively efficient distribution of information. The image itself speaks to the direct appropriation of natural resources, here with the local population butchering the whale. Whale products at this time, blubber and bones, were a commodity with significant economic value. This image reminds us of the labor involved in harvesting materials, and how the natural world was perceived as a resource to be exploited. It challenges us to consider the social and economic implications of material use, and the complex relationship between humans and the environment.