Gezicht op het legerkamp bij Rijen, 1831 1831

This anonymous print, “View of the Army Camp near Rijen,” made in 1831, depicts a vast military encampment, its rows of tents stretching into the horizon, symbolizing order and preparedness. Yet, it is the towering flagpole that captures our attention. Throughout history, the pole has served as a potent symbol – think of the maypole, an axis mundi, representing the center of the world, around which communities gather and celebrate. Here, the flagpole is a more sober emblem, less of festivity and more of authority and military might. Consider the Roman standards, or even the totems of indigenous tribes; these poles, like the one here, acted as visual anchors, rallying points in times of conflict and expressions of collective identity. The pole has lost its maypole playfulness, and stands solemnly as a signifier of defense and national pride, a silent witness to the cyclical dance of power and allegiance.