['Caisson ready to launch', 'Caisson constructing-placing girders', 'View of top of caisson', 'Inch garvie S.E. caisson pier'] c. 1883 - 1885

These four photographs document stages in the construction of a caisson pier, sometime in the late 19th century, likely in Britain. The anonymous photographer has captured not just a feat of engineering, but also a social landscape. Each image presents a different perspective, from the initial launch-readiness to the complex placement of girders. These images speak to the era's fascination with industrial progress and infrastructure. The caisson, a crucial element in bridge building, represents human ambition to conquer natural barriers. Consider the context of Victorian Britain. It was a time of unprecedented engineering innovation, fuelled by the Industrial Revolution. Constructions like these were celebrated as symbols of national pride and technological prowess, often underpinned by colonial exploitation. To understand this artwork fully, we might look at engineering journals, social histories of industrial labour, and photographic archives. These sources could reveal the institutional forces and social conditions that made such projects possible.