Drie jongens op een strand aan de Oostzee op Rügen 1889 - 1893

Willem Frederik Piek Jr. made this gelatin silver print of three boys on a beach on Rügen Island. The photograph presents a muted scene, typical of early photography, but it hints at broader cultural shifts occurring around the turn of the century in Germany. Rügen, with its dramatic chalk cliffs and Baltic Sea coastline, became a popular destination during the 19th century. The rise of seaside tourism coincided with new ideas about health, leisure, and the natural world. These new ideas reshaped social life and artistic practices. The image captures a moment of everyday life. But it’s also an example of how photography was used to document and promote new forms of recreation. To understand this image fully, we might consult travel guides, social histories of leisure, and studies of German cultural identity. The history of photography as an institution also shapes how we understand its role in shaping social life.