Portret van een vrouw 1857 - 1908

This portrait of a woman was created by Woodbury & Page using the photography technique. Photography in this period was often seen as a tool for social documentation and control, particularly in colonial contexts. Woodbury & Page, operating in places like Indonesia, produced images that catered to European tastes and reinforced colonial power structures. They offered European clients the opportunity to collect and classify images of the people they dominated. The woman in this portrait, identified as Marie Palm, likely belonged to a local elite, her Western-style dress signaling a degree of assimilation, while her depiction within a framed photograph speaks to the cultural dynamics of the time. Understanding the context in which photographs like this were produced allows us to question the power dynamics at play and consider how the camera was used to shape perceptions and solidify social hierarchies. Further research into the archives might reveal more about the subject, the photographers, and the institutions that supported this kind of work.