Spoorbrug over de Rijn tussen Kehl en Straatsburg 1860 - 1870

This stereo card, entitled 'Spoorbug over de Rijn tussen Kehl en Straatsburg' or 'Railway Bridge over the Rhine between Kehl and Strasbourg', was captured by Hippolyte Jouvin. It's a photograph, a process that was still relatively new at the time, involving a complex interplay of chemistry, optics, and skilled labor. The image gives a detailed view of the bridge, an impressive feat of 19th-century engineering. Its skeletal, gothic-inspired arches and the intricate ironwork speak to an era of industrial progress and burgeoning capitalism. Consider the laborers who toiled to erect this structure, their efforts literally bridging nations. The photograph itself is a product of labor as well. From the preparation of the glass plate to the careful development process, each step required skill and precision. Jouvin's choice of subject matter, a symbol of modernity and connection, reflects the changing world around him, and the labor and materials that went into making that world.