Haarlem, Brouwersvaart c. 1900 - 1940

This is an undated photograph of Haarlem’s Brouwersvaart canal, made by the Dutch publisher NGP as part of a stereoscopic card. The stereoscopic format was popular for commercial landscape views like this one. When viewed through a special viewer, it gave the scene a sense of three-dimensional depth, inviting middle-class consumers to experience distant places as though they were really there. Canals like this one were crucial for transporting goods in Dutch cities, before the advent of trains and automobiles. Yet, the picture also presents an ordered and prosperous image of urban life that would have appealed to tourists. The photographer of this image remains unknown. Further research might reveal more about the company that produced it, and the markets they were hoping to reach. The meaning of art is always contingent on such social and institutional contexts.