Meisjes met draagjukken bij de Gevangenpoort te Woudrichem c. 1900 - 1910

This photograph of girls with yokes near the Gevangenpoort in Woudrichem was created by G. Hidderley. It is a study in contrasts. We have the weight of architecture here, brick by brick laboriously constructed. The gate looms over the figures in the foreground, who are caught in their own toil. The buckets they carry appear to be made of metal. The yokes look to be simple, hand-hewn wooden dowels. One can only imagine the amount of effort involved in repeatedly filling, lifting, and transporting these heavy containers. The image reminds us of the labor and the social context required for this task. It speaks to a world in which manual labor, especially that of young women, was a common part of the social fabric. By directing our attention to these issues of labor, production, and consumption, the photograph challenges us to look beyond mere representation and consider the social and economic forces that shape our everyday lives.