Britse legervoorraden worden over de Modderrivier gebracht, Zuid-Afrika 1900

This stereograph, likely made around 1900 by an anonymous photographer, depicts British army supplies being transported across the Modder River in South Africa. The image captures a moment during the Second Boer War, a conflict fueled by British imperial ambitions and control over South Africa’s rich resources. The photograph creates meaning through visual codes that would have been familiar to viewers at the time. The ox-drawn carts represent not only the logistical challenges of war in a distant land, but also the exploitation of local resources and labor by the British Empire. The photo was made and distributed by Underwood & Underwood, a company that was one of the largest publishers of stereoviews. These images offer a glimpse into how photographic media was consumed and used to shape public opinion about colonial conflicts. Historians study such images alongside military records, personal accounts, and economic data to fully understand the war’s impact on both the colonizers and the colonized. The photograph serves as a reminder that art is always embedded within specific social and institutional contexts.