Excavating shaft No. 26 before 1887

This photograph by George P. Hall & Son reveals the stark reality of "Excavating Shaft No. 26," a subterranean wound in the earth's crust. Dominating the frame is the ladder, an ancient symbol of ascent, stretching into the darkness below. The ladder motif echoes throughout history, from Jacob's Ladder in Genesis, a bridge between the earthly and divine, to its use in countless myths and rituals where it signifies progress. Here, it represents both literal descent into the earth and a symbolic journey into the unknown depths of human endeavor. The dark pit may stir primal fears within us – anxieties of entrapment and the unknown. This image speaks to a deep-seated, collective memory of venturing into the earth, a place of both peril and potential, a place of death and rebirth. The visual motif of the ladder is therefore not linear but cyclical. It resurfaces in our collective imagination, constantly evolving, its rungs ever reaching, embodying our perpetual desire to transcend limitations and confront the mysteries that lie beneath the surface.