Gezicht op molen en kookhuis op een plantage te Suriname 1708

Dirk Valkenburg made this drawing of a Suriname plantation using pen and brown ink sometime around the early 18th century. The numbered buildings indicate the various stages of sugar production, the key industry in this Dutch colony. This seemingly straightforward depiction of industry is fraught with socio-political implications. The composition is ordered around European architectural forms, asserting a vision of colonial progress and control, while eliding the brutal realities of slavery which made sugar production possible. The enslaved laborers themselves are notably absent from the scene, their forced labor rendered invisible. To understand this image fully, one must consult sources beyond the artwork itself. Plantation records, colonial archives, and accounts from enslaved people themselves provide crucial perspectives often excluded from official representations. By acknowledging these absences, we can begin to grapple with the complex power dynamics embedded within this seemingly innocuous landscape.