Onderdelen van een stoomlocomotief before 1871

George Gardner Rockwood made this photograph titled 'Onderdelen van een stoomlocomotief' or 'Parts of a steam locomotive', though its date is unknown. Rockwood lived during an era of unprecedented industrial advancement, and the photograph offers a glimpse into that world. Photographs of mechanical components like this one also captured a specific vision of progress, one closely tied to the labor and ingenuity of those who built and operated these machines, even as they stood to be replaced by them. How did it feel to be a part of this shift? This image is a kind of mechanical still life, a composition of inanimate objects imbued with the potential for dynamic movement. It invites us to consider the human element behind these technological marvels. It prompts questions about the nature of progress, and the human cost of technological advancement.