Turfmarkt en Nieuwe Kerk in Den Haag 1870 - 1890

This photograph, taken by Andries Jager, captures the Turfmarkt and Nieuwe Kerk in The Hague. The canal bisects the frame, drawing our eye to the church, a beacon of faith and community. But consider the canal itself: water, a symbol of life and purification, yet also of the subconscious, the depths of the human soul. Like the rivers in ancient mythologies, the canal here is a passage through time, connecting the past and present. Think of the Egyptian god Osiris, whose story is intertwined with the Nile, a symbol of cyclical renewal and resurrection. And what of the bare trees lining the canal? They evoke a sense of dormancy, of waiting, a stark contrast to the bustling marketplace where life unfolds. This tension between stillness and activity, between the sacred and the profane, mirrors the human condition itself. A powerful force engaging us on a deep, subconscious level. The canal's reflection, as the trees are mirrored, creates a cyclical progression, echoing through time.