Boot wordt het strand op getrokken 1827 - 1873

Hendrik Wilhelmus Last created this print titled 'Boot wordt het strand op getrokken'—or 'Boat being pulled onto the beach'— sometime in the mid-19th century. Here, we observe a community coalescing around labor. Horses and figures strain to haul a boat onto the shore. This scene highlights the physical demands of maritime work. The division of labor—men handling the ropes, horses providing raw power, and women potentially supporting from the sidelines—reflects the gendered roles prevalent in 19th-century Dutch society. The scene subtly underscores the economic and social reliance on the sea, a vital aspect of Dutch identity and history. What does it mean when a nation’s identity becomes so entwined with labor? What happens when those industries change? The print thus serves as a record of a specific time and place, inviting reflection on the human connection to labor. It encourages us to consider the lives and the work that have shaped coastal communities.