Deck of the Great Eastern, the Cable Trough, etc., 1866 1861 - 1871

Editor: This is Robert Charles Dudley’s "Deck of the Great Eastern, the Cable Trough, etc.," created between 1861 and 1871, using watercolor, print, and drawing. The mechanical elements dominate; it's like a celebration of industrial machinery. What do you see here? Curator: I see a document of Victorian engineering. The immense scale of the cable-laying machinery speaks volumes about the ambition and resources sunk into projects like the transatlantic cable. Dudley meticulously depicts the winches, gears, and cabling equipment, celebrating human ingenuity and the ability to master nature through industrial production. Editor: It almost seems to ignore the human element, though. What about the labor involved? Curator: Exactly! While not depicted directly, the laborers are implicit. Think about the social hierarchy on the ship – the engineers, the skilled technicians, and the manual laborers all playing their part in this industrial spectacle. Consider the vast coal consumption, and extraction. The materiality and physical hardship underpinning this grand endeavor are integral to its narrative. Do you see how it also speaks to the raw materials? Editor: I hadn't thought about the materials that way. Seeing the print, watercolor and drawing techniques makes me reconsider the artistic labor as part of this grand scheme. Curator: Right, each mark a testament to production, whether artistic or industrial. It's not just about celebrating progress, but interrogating its cost, both environmental and social. The means of production becomes the message itself. Editor: This makes me appreciate the image so much more, considering it as an illustration of the processes and all materials implied in it. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure!