['Natal-Durban, The Point', 'Natal-Maritzburg'] before 1880

This photographic album features images of Natal-Durban and Natal-Maritzburg by Sam Alexander. The ship, a prominent symbol in the Natal-Durban photograph, is far more than just a vessel; it’s a potent emblem of transition, exploration, and perhaps, even intrusion. Across cultures and eras, the ship motif recurs. Consider the Ship of Fools in medieval allegory—a vessel of societal misfits adrift at sea. Or, reflect on the ships in ancient maritime maps, which marked the edges of the known world, laden with both promise and peril. This ship, here in Natal-Durban, carries echoes of these historical voyages. The psychological weight of such imagery cannot be dismissed. Ships touch upon our collective unconscious, evoking deep-seated desires for discovery, coupled with anxieties about the unknown and the disruption of established orders. It is a symbol that continues to navigate the currents of human emotion.