Bruggenbouw, het werken met caissons 1900 - 1935

Neville Keasberry made this photograph, ‘Bruggenbouw, het werken met caissons’, using a stereoscopic camera. The picture shows the construction of bridge supports, called caissons. Look closely, and you’ll see that these structures are being made by laborers using bamboo and timber. The workers stand knee-deep in the river, the water swirling around them, as they build these large, box-like forms. The construction of bridges, like this one in Java, was crucial for resource extraction, connecting remote areas to global trade networks. The work involved was intensive and physically demanding. The image hints at the contrast between the temporary nature of the woven caissons, and the permanent infrastructure being built. Photography, like the bridges it documents, plays a crucial role in shaping our understanding of labor, politics, and consumption. The presence of this photograph invites us to consider how the creation and distribution of this image connects to the wider issues of labor and social context within it.