Gezicht op het Oost-Indisch Zeemagazijn en de VOC-scheepswerf op Oostenburg te Amsterdam Possibly 1710 - 1766

This engraving depicts the Oost-Indisch Zeemagazijn en de VOC-scheepswerf—the East India naval warehouse and the VOC shipyard—in Amsterdam. The image serves as a potent reminder of the Dutch Golden Age’s foundation in maritime trade and colonial expansion. What stories do shipyards tell, and whose stories get left out? The Dutch East India Company, or VOC, was a driving force in global commerce, but this prosperity was built on exploitation and the labor of enslaved people. Amsterdam became a hub for goods and capital, yet the human cost of this economic engine is often obscured. Here, the meticulous detail in the architecture contrasts sharply with the absence of any real human presence. The ships, symbols of exploration and trade, also represent the vehicles of cultural and economic subjugation. This image invites us to consider the relationship between progress and its impact, and to reflect on the full implications of such a complex legacy.