"Karajame avane umanap erkanitume, Puissingniartut. Iisfjorden ved Kariak, Nordgrønland" 1867

This print was made by Lars Møller, depicting the Ice-Fjord of Kariak in North Greenland. Likely created at the turn of the century, the image resonates with Denmark’s colonial engagement in Greenland, which was politically fraught and often based on unequal power dynamics. Looking closely, the image creates meaning through the contrast between the vast, imposing Arctic landscape and the small, almost anonymous figures of the Inuit people. The artist, a Dane, likely produced the image for a European audience interested in the exotic and remote Arctic. The presence of both Danish and Inuit language captions highlights the cross-cultural exchange inherent in colonial encounters. Was this image made for anthropological purposes, to document the lives of the Inuit? Or was it intended as a picturesque view for Danish consumers? To fully understand this print, we can look into the archives of Danish colonial administration and publications. We can question how the image perpetuates or challenges existing power structures, and what role institutions played in shaping its meaning. The interpretation of art is always contingent on its historical context.