Figuren op een afgemeerde bomschuit voor de kust van Scheveningen 1888 - 1889

Alexander Shilling made this pencil drawing of figures on a moored 'bomschuit' off the coast of Scheveningen sometime between 1859 and 1937. Scheveningen, a Dutch coastal town, was then a place where the intersection of labor, leisure, and the raw power of the sea shaped people's lives. In this sketch, Shilling captures more than just a scene; he evokes a sense of place deeply intertwined with the identities of its inhabitants. The bomschuit, a type of fishing boat, isn't merely a vessel, but an emblem of the community's connection to the sea and its reliance on it for survival. The figures, rendered with quick strokes, hint at lives shaped by the rhythms of the ocean, by the daily toil and the ever-present risks. Shilling himself would have encountered this reality, engaging directly with the people and the landscape of Scheveningen. This drawing is a sensitive portrayal of working-class life, filtered through Shilling’s own experiences. It reflects a moment in time and invites us to consider the relationships between people, their environment, and the narratives that emerge from those interactions.