Boten op de Maas, nabij Ougrée Possibly 1886

"Boten op de Maas, nabij Ougrée" is a photograph by the Detaille Frères. It captures boats on the Meuse River near Ougrée, offering a glimpse into the lives and labor of those who worked the waterways. The image itself is quiet and still, and yet, the river was a bustling artery of commerce and industry in the late 19th century. The photograph is a portrait of labor, class, and identity, showing men at work in a landscape undergoing industrial transformation. We can almost feel the weight of their labor, the physical strain of navigating the river. These men, their boats, and their livelihoods are rendered visible, their stories woven into the landscape. It serves as a poignant reminder of the human stories embedded in landscapes shaped by labor and industry. What stories can we imagine of the lives of these men?