Vier gezichten op waterwegen rond Hamburg, afgebeeld een stadgezicht vanaf het water, een aanlegsteiger en een vrouw en kind die zwanen voeren 1894

Wilhelm Dreesen captured these four views of Hamburg's waterways using photography. Of particular interest are the images portraying a woman and child feeding swans. Swans are often seen as symbols of purity and grace. Images of swans have permeated art for centuries. Consider the myth of Leda and the Swan, a motif laden with complex layers of desire, transformation, and divine intervention. Here, the feeding of swans evokes a different emotional landscape: tenderness, domesticity, and a harmonious relationship between humans and nature. In this depiction, the swans gather around the figures, their white plumage radiant against the darker water, perhaps unconsciously recalling the swan's older symbolic association with light and divinity. These scenes tap into our shared memories, resonating with deeply rooted longings for innocence and natural harmony. The motif reminds us that symbols, while evolving through time, remain powerful carriers of human emotions.