Drooggevallen vissersschip op het strand bij Scheveningen 1904

This photograph, by James Higson, captures a fishing boat stranded on the beach at Scheveningen. While the exact date of this image is unknown, Higson lived and worked during a period when photography was rapidly evolving, documenting profound shifts in industry and society. Here, the grounded ship becomes a powerful symbol, reflecting the precariousness of life for working-class communities reliant on the sea. The photograph invites us to consider the environmental conditions and economic structures that shaped the lives of the fishermen and their families. The labor is implied, but the image focuses on the aftermath, the quiet stillness after the work is done. Rather than celebrating industrial progress, Higson's photograph offers a poignant meditation on the human condition, steeped in the realities of labor, family, and the ever-present forces of nature.