At the National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, there is an exhibit that has many old pictures from boat excursions that date all the way back to the 1800's. There were multiple different types of pictures that were taken, such as landscape, still life, and portraits. There were many different amateur and professional photographers who would accompany the boat excursions to take these pictures. The excursions were mostly made for leisure for the upper/middle class at this time or for people who wanted to travel and explore the world. At the exhibit, there were books of photos which compiled either many different excursions or a few specific ones. The photos were put together in book by either a photographer or an upper class individual who had used photographs from many different photographers.
One of the most interesting things that I found in the pictures were some of the activities that they did on the boat. One of them was a pool that the boat passengers would be able to swim in when it was nice outside. The pictures had around four people in the small pool, which was located on the top deck of that boat. It was supported by wooden boards and beams. Another interesting aspect was two different pictures that featured two separate entertainment bands on the boat. One band was dressed up very nicely, while the other was not quite as fancy. The difference between them was one band was for the upper class and the other was for the middle class. Overall, I thought that the multitude of pictures shown in this exhibit gave a glimpse into what life was like on boat exertions from the 1800's.
It's so cool to see what a camera can capture, and what we are able to document them. Like you said, both amateur and professional photographers had their place in the exhibit, but I think my favorite pictures are the candids. They really get into the nitty gritty of how life was in the past.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! The boat was amazing, and the weather was perfect so it was nice to just sit and veg a little on the boat and really soak up the port for a little bit! It was a nice relaxing first day after the flight! I also loved the kings boat and it was so awesome that they had a little replica in the boat room as well! Plus, the slideshow of when they actually use the boat was awesome!
ReplyDeleteI also really enjoyed this section of the museum. I liked seeing the different events that took place on ships back then, like the costume days. It's interesting to think about how they did some of the same things we do for fun now.
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