Arbeiders bij hijskraan voor fabriek 1855 - 1875

This stereoscopic photograph by Jules Marinier captures workers with a crane in front of a factory. Made in the nineteenth century, at a time of unprecedented industrial growth, it prompts us to consider the social conditions that shape artistic production. The image creates meaning through its depiction of labour and technology. The workers, gathered around the crane, represent the human element driving industrial progress. Marinier, working in continental Europe, could well have been influenced by socialist ideas that celebrated the worker, but we might also note how institutions of the art world influenced the subject matter that was considered worthy of documentation. To fully understand this photograph, we might research the economic structures and labour laws of the time. This would enable us to interpret the photograph in its appropriate social and institutional context.