Ophaalbrug en de Swych Utrecht bij de Doelen, Amsterdam by Pieter Oosterhuis

Ophaalbrug en de Swych Utrecht bij de Doelen, Amsterdam 1860 - 1870

Pieter Oosterhuis's Profile Picture

Pieter Oosterhuis

1816 - 1885

Location

Rijksmuseum
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Artwork details

Dimensions
height 84 mm, width 174 mm
Location
Rijksmuseum
Copyright
Rijks Museum: Open Domain

About this artwork

This is Pieter Oosterhuis’ stereograph, ‘Ophaalbrug en de Swych Utrecht bij de Doelen, Amsterdam’. It’s a photograph, yet the doubled image gives the feeling of a moving picture, or even a video. Oosterhuis was a pioneering photographer, living in a time when Amsterdam was rapidly expanding and modernizing. His work often documented the changing urban landscape. Think about this image as a kind of portrait of a city in flux. The bridge and surrounding buildings reflect the Dutch relationship with water, and the constant negotiation between land and sea. Consider how the invention of photography democratized image-making, providing a new way to capture and disseminate views of the world. Oosterhuis’ photographs invite us to reflect on how we document and remember urban spaces. The personal and the political are intertwined in the seemingly straightforward image, as the photograph turns the viewer into a tourist or an anthropologist.

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