Het Staatse leger onder Maurits gelegerd bij Wesel, 1620

This anonymous engraving from 1620 depicts the State Army under Maurits, encamped near Wesel, offering a bird's-eye view into the military strategies of the Dutch Republic during the early 17th century. Engravings like these served not just as records, but as tools for shaping public perception of power and order. It’s impossible to ignore how war is a gendered space, where the roles and expectations of men and women are starkly defined. The relentless precision in illustrating military deployment alongside the river Rhine makes me think about the stories often left untold – the emotional toll on soldiers, the disruption of civilian lives, and the environmental impact of such large-scale military operations. It shows the identity of war and power. Consider how this image, while seemingly objective, is loaded with the values and interests of its time. It is as much a piece of propaganda as it is a historical document.