Twee trampaarden op de Dam in Amsterdam 1893 - 1894

George Hendrik Breitner made this sketch of two tram horses on Dam Square in Amsterdam in the late 19th or early 20th century. Breitner was known for his interest in capturing the everyday life of the city, and this sketch is a great example of that. The sketch depicts two tram horses standing on the Dam, likely waiting for their next shift. The horses are drawn with quick, energetic lines, and the overall impression is one of movement and vitality. It's a candid snapshot of working animals in the urban landscape. During Breitner's time, Amsterdam was undergoing rapid urbanization and industrialization. Horses were still a common sight in the city, but their role was gradually being replaced by new technologies. Breitner's sketch captures this moment of transition. Historians can look at the archives of the Amsterdam public transport system and compare it to what can be seen of the built environment in the sketch, for example. What was being torn down and what was newly constructed? In this way we can read an image like this one as a register of social change.