Militairen met fietsen op een vlot op een rivier en vier militairen aan wal before 1915

This small sepia photograph shows a group of soldiers and bikes on a raft crossing a river; we don’t know who made it, or exactly when. I like to imagine what it was like for the person who made this photo, and for the soldiers in it, to be there in that moment. What were they thinking, and how did they feel? The surface of the water is like a mirror. The bikes are precariously balanced on the raft, and the trees frame the scene. I get a feeling that photography is like a shared language, connecting people across time and place. It's a form of expression that's constantly evolving, yet also deeply rooted in history. When looking at this image I’m reminded of the work of other artists and how creative ideas connect people, inspiring one another’s creativity. There are echoes of other pictures here, and the image is ambiguous, open to interpretation. It offers multiple layers of meaning.