Engraving depicting two views of a ship camel, a floatation tank that can be fitted to a ship, allowing her to cross through shallower waters. These were invented in 1690 in the Netherlands, and used there for crossing through the shallow waters of the Zuiderzee in order to reach Amsterdam.
The upper view shows men with rope winches standing atop a ship-camel waiting in the water by a shore. Several figures watch from the shore, and at far right, a ship bearing the Dutch flag approaches. The flags on the ship are the only colored portions of this engraving. In the right-hand background is a city on the horizon. Title is printed at top of the image: "Kameel, of Schip-Lichter van Achteren" (Camel, or Ship-Lifter, from behind).
The lower view shows the front of the ship camel, with the curved side that allows it to mount onto the hull of a ship. There is a rowboat of spectators in the foreground and a ship with two camels fitted to her sides in the left-hand background. There is a small plume of smoke rising up from the right side of the top of the ship camel in the foreground. Title is printed at top of image: "Kameel, van Vooren" (Camel, from the front). In the lower margin is printed, "Tot Amsterdam, By C. ALLARD, op den Dams met Privilegie enz".
