Interieur van de suikerfabriek van de firma Vom Rath 1885

Ernst Witkamp made this watercolor painting of the interior of the Vom Rath sugar factory at the end of the 19th century. It captures the industrialized labor process of sugar refinement. The image shows us how factories transformed human experience in this period. Witkamp creates meaning through stark observation. The factory floor is dominated by machines and repetitive labor, a sharp contrast to the agrarian life from which many workers came. The sugar cones themselves become symbols of industrial production. These men are nameless, wearing identical aprons to perform repetitive, physically demanding tasks. Even the cats seem to have a place in this world, hinting at a complex ecosystem emerging within industrial spaces. To understand this painting more fully, we could delve into the history of sugar production and labor practices in the Netherlands. Old factory records, worker testimonies, and social surveys of the time would all help reveal the social dynamics embedded within the image. This approach shows that art is never separate from the economic and political structures of its time.