Deel van de scheepswerf van de Tanjong Pagar Dock Co. Ltd. in Singapore before 1905

This photograph of the Tanjong Pagar Dock in Singapore, by G.R. Lambert & Co., shows the shipyards at work. It's a study in brown and grey, where the world seems to be unfolding in shades of sepia, revealing the beauty of a time gone by. The image is striking because it is both a record of a moment, and a carefully constructed composition. Look at the way the masts rise and criss-cross like brushstrokes against the sky, contrasting with the dark mass of the dockyard roof. The texture is interesting, too. The smooth, almost reflective surfaces of the water and the dock contrast with the rougher texture of the ship's hull. Note also the way that the figures are blurred, suggesting movement and activity, they give a sense of what it must have been like to work there at that time. It reminds me of some of the early photographs by Gustave Le Gray. Perhaps they were also fascinated by capturing light and atmosphere. Ultimately this image embraces ambiguity, it's more about the mood, and the feeling it evokes, than about a definitive meaning.