Nieuwbouw langs het Jacob van Lennepkanaal in Amsterdam c. 1890 - 1910

George Hendrik Breitner made this gelatin silver print, titled "Nieuwbouw langs het Jacob van Lennepkanaal in Amsterdam," sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Breitner, known for his unflinching depictions of Amsterdam, here captures the city's rapid expansion. The photograph presents a stark contrast between the skeletal, exposed construction site in the foreground and the emerging apartment buildings in the background. The composition is daring, almost documentary in its realism. Made in a time of rapid urbanization in the Netherlands, the image hints at the social transformations underway, including questions around housing and the changing urban landscape. Was Breitner celebrating progress, or critiquing the loss of old Amsterdam? To understand this image fully, we might consult city archives, construction records, and social surveys from the period. Art history reminds us that every artwork is embedded in a specific time and place, reflecting the forces that shape society.