Riviergezicht met spoorbrug bij Dordrecht 1889 - 1902

Carel Nicolaas Storm van 's-Gravesande made this etching of a river view with a railway bridge near Dordrecht. The etching depicts a tranquil scene with sailboats, a windmill, and the distant outline of a town, but it's the railway bridge that really stands out. Holland in the late 19th century was undergoing rapid industrialization. The railway symbolized progress and modernity, and the image suggests the changing landscape and the encroachment of technology on traditional Dutch scenery. The artist juxtaposes the old, in the form of windmills and sailboats, with the new, symbolized by the railway. To fully understand this etching, one might explore the history of industrial development in the Netherlands, as well as the art institutions of the time, such as the Pulchri Studio, and how they negotiated the tension between tradition and progress. Art is never created in a vacuum; it's always in dialogue with the social, political, and economic forces of its time.