Gezicht op Danzig vanaf de Mottlau, met rechts de Kraanpoort 1625

Aegidius Dickmann created this print of Danzig from the Mottlau, featuring the Crane Gate, sometime in the 17th century. Danzig, now Gdańsk, was a major port city, a melting pot of cultures and commerce, but also a site of deep social stratification. Look closely at the ships; they weren’t just carriers of goods, they were also implicated in the transportation of enslaved people. This print offers a glimpse into a world powered by trade, which rested on the exploitation of human lives. Dickmann's choice to depict this bustling scene invites us to consider the human cost of economic prosperity. Consider the artist and the patrons who likely commissioned such work. What was their relationship to this system? It prompts us to reflect on whose stories are told and whose are often left out of the frame.