Gezicht op de smeltovens van de gieterij van de machinefabriek van Gebroeders Stork & Co before 1894

This photogravure shows the interior of the Stork & Co. factory, part of an album that explores Dutch industry. It reveals the architecture of labor, of industrial production, and the social conditions of the workers. Without knowing the photographer, we can still speculate on the purpose. Was it documentation, promotion, or perhaps even social commentary? Factories like Stork were the engines of progress, but also sites of contestation. Images such as this obscure the individual stories of the men who worked there, often under harsh conditions. Notice the absence of human figures in the image, how does this affect our reading? Does it emphasize the alienating nature of industrial work, where individuals become cogs in a larger machine? Or does it celebrate the modern technology? This image reflects the complex relationship between progress, labor, and the human cost of industrialization.