A photograph dated 17 December 1935 records empty petrol cans lined up at a village fountain in Asmara, colonial Eritrea. Its original caption says the fountain supplied water for domestic use. At the time, Asmara had become a northern base for Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, with military supplies moving through the city by rail.
The place in line was held not by a body but by a container. Leaving a can at the fountain preserved a household's turn. In a city dominated by military logistics, repurposed fuel cans made the everyday allocation of water visible.