Gezicht op de Oude Schans en de Montelbaanstoren met op de voorgrond de Kikkerbilsluis c. 1860 - 1900

Andries Jager made this photograph of the Oude Schans and the Montelbaanstoren in Amsterdam sometime in the 19th century. The image presents us with a seemingly objective view, yet photography at this time was deeply entwined with social and institutional agendas. The emphasis on architectural details, for instance, reflects a growing interest in urban planning and preservation. Amsterdam, a city built on canals, was experiencing rapid industrialization, and photographs like this served both as records of the past and tools for envisioning the future. Consider too the role of the Rijksmuseum, where this photograph now resides. It was founded in 1800 to display national art and historical artifacts; this photograph, as a document of Amsterdam's urban landscape, would have been considered an object worthy of collecting and displaying. To fully understand this photograph, we can turn to city archives, historical maps, and studies of 19th-century urban development. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.