Edward Penfield: Holland from the Stern of a Boeier, 1903

In this account, published in the December 1903 issue of Scribner's Monthly Magazine, Penfield finds himself in the busy port of Rotterdam pondering how he might find passage through the canals and across the Zuyder Zee to Friesland. He began making sketches of the various marine craft and caught the attention of a barge skipper who congratulated him on his work. To quote Penfield, " 'Mooi! mooi!' " he said, and . . . that means 'good!' in Dutch . . . . ' Yes, there was room for a passenger . . . we sail any time today!' " We are told that, though it rains twenty times in a month, the day turned out to be bright and beautiful. Click on image to enlarge.

Click on image to enlarge these magnificent drawings that filled a page. Fortunately, the color register is much better than other pages I've uploaded.

Penfield wrote, "Here comes a cart at a brisk pace, drawn by a dog so small as to be ridiculously out of proportion to his burden. Patient little slaves and too often abused! Not infrequently the driver perches himself on the top of an already heavy load and uses his whip with an animation that would much better be employed elsewhere." Click on image to enlarge.