Canton Revisited

Being a historian means travelling a lot, although primarily in the dimension of time. By working long enough with a topic, place or person, a feeling of familiarity arises, one a feeling of having actually visited the places or met the persons arises, even though the only contact has been through images and text.

But there is still value to travlling in person and experiencing the places where the historical events took place.

Copenhagen 1786

One of my favorite depictions of Copenhagen in the 18th century is this wonderful gouache of the city in 1786, painted by M. Bang.

While the tower and spires are immediately recognisable for anyone familiar with the city skyline today, everything else has been through an 18th century Photoshop-edit. Almost all houses appear freshly chalked in pure white and everything is generally in great order.