M HKA Ensembles

Print, 29,4 x 39,9 cm.

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. DM02).

John Charles Dollman, Chains and Slavery, Antwerp, engraving, black-and-white print on paper, published on p. 273 of The Graphic newspaper on 24 March 1877, 29,3 x 39,8 cm. Purchased by Allan Sekula through eBay on 21 April 2010. [Allan Sekula – The Dockers' Museum, 2010-2013, object nr. 2]

A nineteenth century print from the British press, showing a genre-scene of Antwerp street vendors, it depicts a woman with a dogcart. The sad-looking dogs are depicted as slaves. It is an image that is also about of the emerging discourse of human rights and animal rights before the facts, during the time of first workers movements. The dogs are Belgian dogs that are specially bred for hauling heavy loads, these Bouviers de flandres were also used in the first World War for carrying machine guns. It’s part of a group of etches dating from the late nineteenth century, which is the beginning of the workers movements, and also the period just prior to the period of photomechanical reproductions. So they are all late steel-engraving reproductions. These double sheeted pages from the British illustrated press (DM01-DM02-DM03) have an interesting scale, they are tabloid-sized, together they make for a good presentation because of their intermediate scale. The scale is important for all the objects, the smallest is the miniature postage stamp (DM28), the miniature quality of the depiction of a vast space (harbour, sea) is very important throughout the Dockers Museum.