Schipbrug over de Rijn in Koblenz, Duitsland 1864

Hippolyte Jouvin captured this stereoscopic view of a pontoon bridge over the Rhine in Koblenz using photography, a relatively new medium at the time. While photography is often considered an art form, its early applications were deeply intertwined with documentation and industry. Here, we see the bridge not just as a subject, but as a feat of engineering and a symbol of progress. The bridge itself is made of wood, assembled with precision. Look closely, and you will notice the many individual pontoons required to realize the entire structure. The texture of the wood, the intricate joinery, and the sheer scale of the bridge all speak to human labor. The making of this functional object, like that of the photograph documenting it, would have involved many hands. This image invites us to consider the relationship between art, industry, and the human effort that underpins them both.