Inch Garvie cantilever from H.M.S. Devastation 1889

This photograph captures the Inch Garvie cantilever from H.M.S. Devastation, created by an anonymous artist. This image documents a critical phase in the construction of the Forth Bridge, a monumental undertaking that symbolized Victorian engineering and imperial ambition. Yet, consider what such progress cost. The construction of the bridge occurred during a period of intense industrialization in Scotland. Thousands of laborers, many from working-class backgrounds, toiled in dangerous conditions to bring this vision to life. Their labor, often invisible in celebratory narratives, literally forged the path of progress. The black and white medium emphasizes the stark realities of the labor and environment, it asks us to consider the human cost of progress and the identities intertwined with this iconic structure. The photograph then, is not just a record; it is a silent witness to a complex interplay of labor, class, and national identity.