Kanon gemaakt voor de verdediging van Mahikeng 1901

Curator: This is a fascinating gelatin silver print dating back to 1901. Its title translates to "Cannon made for the defense of Mahikeng." It presents a stereoscopic view—allowing viewers at the time to experience depth—of what appears to be a field cannon. Editor: There's a desolate feel to it. The earth is barren and pale under a washed-out sky. That cannon—clunky and low to the ground, with oversized wheels—seems almost like a clumsy attempt at defiance, a raw and brutal statement about military action. Curator: Indeed. Mahikeng, known then as Mafeking, was a significant location during the Second Boer War. The siege of Mafeking was a well-publicized event, making a local effort at military engineering a valuable propaganda piece for either side of the conflict. A homemade weapon would have held profound symbolism. Editor: Look closely at the wheels, and you will note they are of uneven design. They symbolize more than the obvious weapon for attack or defense. One can trace the imagery of wheels, a technology with deep cultural roots dating back millennia, representing societal control or chaotic upheaval, always churning. They stand here almost comically juxtaposed. Curator: Exactly. The very roughness suggests it was built not in a factory but constructed out of necessity by Major Fanner, per the description on the card—making it an apt, and affecting, emblem of ingenuity born of wartime. A cultural and political symbol more than a perfectly engineered canon, it seems. Editor: It begs the question if this scene captures not just a military tool, but also how humans create meaning and resilience through constructed symbols. It serves as a poignant snapshot—of what feels a desperate attempt to reshape destiny during a turbulent time in the history of conflict. Curator: I find myself contemplating the complexities of that history in relation to contemporary conflict. This image offers more than mere record; it compels reflection about societies, technology and symbolism. Editor: Agreed. This seemingly simple still life sparks layered ideas about societal and symbolic continuity that continue to define culture today.