Robinson c. 1889 - 1906

This print, titled 'Robinson,' made by the successors of Charles Burckhardt, presents a series of images that narrate the tale of Robinson Crusoe. Dominant is the motif of the 'noble savage,' embodied by Friday, a figure echoing back to classical portrayals of wild men, symbolizing a pre-social state of humanity. Consider how this motif recurs throughout history, from Tacitus’s descriptions of Germanic tribes to Renaissance depictions of indigenous peoples. Here, Friday's image carries layers of cultural projection, reflecting both curiosity and colonial power dynamics. The image of Crusoe teaching Friday is laden with historical weight. This dynamic mirrors countless artistic depictions of tutelage and power, evoking the complex interplay between knowledge and control. This motif, seen through a psychoanalytic lens, reveals our collective anxieties about the other, and the urge to assimilate what is foreign. In the cyclical nature of cultural symbols, the echoes of the noble savage and the dynamics of teaching persist, resurfacing in art and thought. It is a visual language of power that is constantly reinterpreted throughout history.