Poort aan een kade 1849 - 1895

Willem Koekkoek sketched "Poort aan een kade" in the late 19th century, capturing a scene that speaks volumes about the intersections of labor, class, and urban development. Born into a family of artists, Koekkoek specialized in townscapes, yet his work also inadvertently chronicled the changing social landscape of the Netherlands. This sketch, with its focus on the architecture around the quay, invites us to consider who has access to these spaces, who labors there, and whose stories are often unseen. As you look at this drawing, think about the people who might have passed through that gate. What were their lives like? How did their class or gender shape their experiences of the city? The sketch then becomes a lens through which we can reflect on the broader narratives of urbanization, industrialization, and the human stories embedded within the bricks and mortar of our shared spaces.