A press photograph dated 17 December 1935 records empty petrol cans lined up at a village fountain in Asmara, Eritrea, under Italian colonial rule. The fountain supplied domestic water, and the containers themselves held each household's place. At the time, Asmara was expanding rapidly as a logistical base for Italy's invasion of Ethiopia.
Because the vessels formed the queue, people could leave while their place remained. Metal cans designed for fuel were repurposed for household water, bringing the military logistics of a colonial war and the daily labour of residents into the same ordered line.