Stoomschip Willem III, vóór de brand van 1871 1871

This is a photograph by Wegner & Mottu of the steamship Willem III, taken before its fire in 1871. It’s impossible to look at a ship without considering its role in trade, and the global movement of people. In the 19th century, ships like the Willem III connected the Netherlands to its colonial empire, a relationship built on resource extraction and labor exploitation. These ships were vital to the colonial project, and also represent stories of migration, both forced and voluntary. Consider, too, who is missing from this image. Where are the workers who powered this vessel? Where are the indigenous populations impacted by the ships' voyages? The absence of these figures prompts us to consider the complex, often obscured human stories behind such an image. It reminds us that photography, like history, is always a constructed narrative, shaped by what is included and, crucially, what is left out.