Table Mountain as a Stereographic View

As already noted, repeated depictions of Table Mountain reinforce a common-sense 'understanding of things' and, collectively, focus attention away from problems such as slavery, poverty, crime and the lack of proper sanitation at the Cape. Historically, Cape Town was repeatedly shown as a stable settlement under a fair - but strict - government, although only a few artists actually visited the Cape. Although many based their engravings on in situ sketches brought back to Europe, most copied existing prints that were already in circulation and commonly available. Despite the many adaptations and modifications that these artists made, notional and fictitious elements prevailed. As a result, the errors of the draughtsman reinforced the fallacies of the Cape, such as the continued depiction of the original fort long after it was destroyed, or the much exaggerated height of the mountain. Despite the latter being Table Mountain's most obvious and variable feature, the mountain is treated primarily as a landmark or stage-prop to facilitate the identification of the Cape.

This recalls what we already observed about an image being related to every other depiction of the same subject and, as is evident here, how an English view may be seen in relation to what Dutch, French or German views do not signify.

Table Mountain and the Picturesque
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