Het standbeeld van Peter de Grote te paard in Sint-Petersburg. 1898

This is Henry Pauw van Wieldrecht's photographic study of the equestrian statue of Peter the Great in St. Petersburg. Captured in the late 19th or early 20th century, the photograph reflects Russia's complex relationship with its imperial past. Peter the Great, a figure of immense power, sought to modernize Russia, yet did so through autocratic means. This statue became a symbol of his ambition and control. Wieldrecht’s choice to capture this monument invites us to consider how power is memorialized and the stories a nation tells about itself. Notice the lone figure walking in front of the statue, dwarfed by the monument, an ambivalent statement on individual agency within the historical narrative. The photograph highlights the interplay between personal experience and grand historical narratives. It prompts us to question whose stories are told and how they shape our understanding of the past and present.