Schipbrug te Keulen c. 1850 - 1860

This is a stereo card of the Schipbrug in Cologne, Germany, created by Johann Heinrich Schönscheidt. This image presents a city on the cusp of modernity. On the one hand, we see the Cologne Cathedral, a potent symbol of the city's deep roots in the Holy Roman Empire and its strong Catholic identity. Juxtaposed against this backdrop is the pontoon bridge itself, a marvel of 19th-century engineering. This bridge not only facilitated trade and movement but also symbolized the city's embrace of industrial progress and the burgeoning capitalist economy. The act of creating and disseminating stereo cards was itself part of this transformation, becoming a popular way to consume imagery. This work invites us to consider the relationship between tradition and progress, religion and industry, in the context of 19th-century Germany. By consulting historical archives and engineering records, we can better understand the social and technological forces at play in shaping the urban landscape.