Amstel met de Magere Brug, Amsterdam 1860 - 1870

This stereograph of the Amstel with the Magere Brug, or “Skinny Bridge”, in Amsterdam, was captured by Pieter Oosterhuis. Oosterhuis lived during a time when Amsterdam was undergoing significant transformations. Industrialization and urbanization were reshaping the city, and these changes impacted the daily lives of its residents. Photography was increasingly used to document cityscapes, and as a mode for shaping and reflecting Amsterdam’s evolving identity. In this photograph, the bridge spans the Amstel River. The water reflects the light, creating an immersive, almost dreamlike effect. Oosterhuis’s choice to capture the scene in a stereograph—a double image that creates a three-dimensional effect when viewed through a special viewer—invites viewers to experience the scene as if they were present in the moment. The Skinny Bridge symbolizes connection, both physically and metaphorically. Bridges like this were vital arteries in a city increasingly shaped by industrial development, and served as social spaces, where different classes of people would interact, even as social and economic disparities grew.