Vogel zittend op een als nest dienende houten klomp 1900 - 1930

Richard Tepe captured this photograph, titled "Vogel zittend op een als nest dienende houten klomp," which translates to "Bird sitting on a wooden shoe serving as a nest," sometime between 1864 and 1952. Here we see a profound intersection of the human-made and the natural world. Wooden clogs, or "klompen," historically worn by working-class individuals in the Netherlands, symbolize labor and a connection to the land. The surprising repurposing of this cultural object as a bird's nest introduces a tender narrative of adaptation and resilience. The bird, perched atop this repurposed shoe, complicates the class implications. Tepe's choice to focus on this scene suggests an emotional investment in the themes of home, resourcefulness, and the quiet dignity of everyday life. It reflects a narrative about finding comfort and new life within the structures of the old.