Colonial Politics of the East Indies

This Dutch satirical print depicts the financial relationship between the Dutch East Indies and the Netherlands. Two kneeling figures milk an enormous cow labeled 12,000,000 (guilders), while banners above promise wealth to Dutch industry and commerce. The cow stands on a pedestal over colonial landscapes, its udders the sole source of imperial profit. A wood engraving typical of 19th-century political journalism, the print employs grotesque caricature and exaggerated forms to depict colonial extraction as absurd theater. The image reflects Dutch public debate over Indies taxation and revenue. This visual tradition of political satire, descended from Gillray and Daumier, would influence European comics' approach to authority, wealth, and empire.