Gezicht op de Admiraliteitswerf en 's Lands Zeemagazijn (Admiraliteitsmagazijn) te Amsterdam c. 1770 - 1805

This print of the Admiralty Shipyard in Amsterdam was made by Hermanus Petrus Schouten. Look closely, and you’ll see the tremendous amount of manual labor required to build these ships: men sawing planks, operating heavy machinery, and assembling the wooden frame of a massive vessel. Schouten captured not just the physical structures of the shipyard but also the human effort involved in shipbuilding. This print is an object lesson in the making of things. The image reveals a complex interplay between craftsmanship and industrial production, where skilled artisans collaborated within a larger system of naval production. Each cut of wood, each fitted plank, speaks to the accumulated knowledge and skill of the workers. At the same time, the shipyard itself is an example of early industrial organization. Paying attention to these materials, processes, and context deepens our appreciation for this print, and challenges our understanding of labor, aesthetics, and the intersections between art and industry.