Scheepslift bij een oever 1797 - 1838

This is Johannes Christiaan Schotel’s pencil drawing of a ‘Scheepslift bij een oever’, or ‘Ship Lift by a Shore’. Schotel, who lived from 1787 to 1838, was deeply immersed in Dutch maritime culture. His life and work coincided with a transformative period in the Netherlands, as the nation navigated its identity in the wake of the Napoleonic era. In this simple sketch, Schotel captures more than just the mechanics of maritime infrastructure. He invites us to consider the lives intertwined with these landscapes – the laborers, sailors, and merchants whose livelihoods depended on the sea and the technologies that facilitated their work. Schotel doesn't sentimentalize the lives of laborers, instead he emphasizes their importance and agency, which moves beyond traditional depictions which tended to marginalize these figures. The drawing serves as a reminder of the ever-changing relationship between humans, industry and the environment. The artist’s sketch compels us to reflect on how the past shapes our present and future trajectories.