Gezicht op Fort Williams in Whida of Juida 1748

This print of Fort Williams in Whida, now part of Benin, was made by Frans de Bakker using etching and engraving. These are essentially industrial processes. An image is incised into a metal plate and then printed on paper in multiples. The material reality of this print – the etched lines, the carefully controlled gradations of tone – reflect the expansion of European power in the 18th century. Note how clearly the fort is delineated, a symbol of control amidst the surrounding landscape. In this context, printmaking served as a tool of documentation but also of propaganda. The image implies a project of conquest, of surveying and possessing distant lands. De Bakker’s technical skill is apparent, but so is the implicit message of the image: an assertion of dominance through the very act of representation. This work challenges us to consider how techniques can be enmeshed with social issues like colonialism.