Helsingørs havn 1880s

This print of ‘Helsingørs havn’ was made by Adolph Kittendorff, who was working in a period of immense social change and artistic exploration. The harbour scene is not merely a landscape; it's a portrait of a society in transition. Kittendorff was working in a period of intense nationalism that followed the Napoleonic wars. The identities of specific places became important in asserting cultural identity, in this case a vision of Denmark as a seafaring, mercantile power. However, if we look closer, it is important to consider which stories are not being told here. In this harbor scene, we see a bustling scene of ships and people; the labor and the lives of the working class are essential to the function of the harbor, yet their individual stories remain largely invisible. As you stand here, consider the narratives embedded in this image: Who gets represented, and whose stories remain untold? The print invites us to reflect on the past and how it shapes our present perceptions.