Presqu'île de Banks, Pointe des Charbonniers, Akaroa (Seine fishing off Colliers' Point, Akaroa, Banks Peninsula, 1845) 1863 - 1870

Charles Meryon created this etching, Presqu'île de Banks, Pointe des Charbonniers, Akaroa, in 1845, from afar, as part of his naval travels. The scene depicts Akaroa, a French settlement in New Zealand. Meryon's identity as a naval officer and artist shaped his perspective. Trained to observe and document, he was also influenced by the romanticism of the time, with its themes of exploration and discovery. We see Māori people engaged in Seine fishing, yet they're represented through the lens of European colonialism. This work is less a depiction of their lived experience, and more a projection of colonial fantasies onto the landscape. Meryon’s identity was also formed by the social stigma he experienced due to being born out of wedlock. This etching captures a moment in time when cultures collided, but it reminds us to consider whose stories are told and whose are marginalized when worlds intersect.