Gezicht op het Damrak met zeilschepen c. 1860 - 1875

This photograph captures the Damrak in Amsterdam, with its sailing ships, by Andries Jager. The most striking symbol here is the sailing ship. Since antiquity, vessels have been a conduit between the known and the unknown. Think of the ancient Egyptians, who believed the soul journeyed across cosmic waters in a boat to reach the afterlife. The presence of ships—and here, many of them—invites us to consider their historical resonance. Ships have appeared everywhere: In ancient Roman mosaics and Renaissance maps, they signify trade, exploration, and the eternal human quest for what lies beyond the horizon. This symbolism is not static; it evolves. The ship, once a symbol of hope, could, in a different era, represent the horrors of the slave trade, or, like the Flying Dutchman, a cursed vessel doomed to sail the seas for eternity. Jager’s photograph captures a moment in the ongoing saga of human ambition and exploration.