Gezicht op de Koningsbrug in Rotterdam met op de voorgrond een paardentram met reclame voor Van Houten's Cacao c. 1860 - 1900

This photograph, taken by Andries Jager, captures a view of the Koningsbrug in Rotterdam. The sepia tones and the small scale of the print create an intimate, almost dreamlike atmosphere, drawing us into a bygone era. The composition is carefully structured. The Koningsbrug stretches across the scene, acting as a central axis. A horse-drawn tram boldly displays an advertisement for Van Houten's Cacao in the foreground and immediately grabs our attention. This juxtaposition of transportation and commercialism speaks volumes about the burgeoning industrial age and its impact on urban life. The formal arrangement also subtly destabilizes traditional notions of perspective. The bridge seems to flatten the space, while the figures populating the scene add depth and dynamism. This interplay between flatness and depth mirrors broader artistic concerns of the time, where artists experimented with new ways of representing space and reality. It reminds us that photography, even in its documentary form, is always a constructed image, an interpretation of reality.