Ceylon, circa 1875
by William Skeen

The stability and aerodynamics of a canoe fitted with a sail and outrigger, such as the one pictured here, made it one of the fastest sailing crafts well into the 20th century. The Scottish photographer William Skeen captured this fisherman’s canoe on the beach near the city of Colombo. The image is breathtaking for its simple beauty; the sober elegance of the resting hull and the transparent sail floating in the breeze provide an enchanting hint of the power and grace this boat exhibited in the open sea.