Model of Part of a Floating Dry Dock 1877 - 1878

This is a model of a section of a floating dry dock, made by the Koninklijke Fabriek voor Stoom- en andere Werktuigen, or Royal Factory for Steam and Other Machines. As a historian, what strikes me most is the way this object speaks to the enormous confidence placed in engineering and industry as a force for social progress. If we imagine this object in its original context, we can see how it embodies a sense of national pride in the industrial achievements of the Netherlands. The model would have circulated among elite audiences, such as investors, engineers, and government officials, and would have been displayed in the offices of the company that produced it. Dry docks were essential for maintaining and repairing ships, and thus were intimately connected to the networks of global trade and military power that defined the 19th and 20th centuries. To understand this object fully, we can consult archival sources, company records, and technical drawings. These resources help us better understand the cultural and institutional forces that shaped its creation.