Portret van Henriette Moendi, met een onbekende vrouw

This photograph shows Henriette Moendi held by an unknown woman and was taken by Friedrich Carel Hisgen. The photograph is part of a series entitled 'Les Habitants de Suriname', placing it within a colonial context where the representation of indigenous peoples was often framed through the lens of the colonizer. In this portrait, the gaze of the woman holding Henriette is downward, creating an intimate, protected space around the child. This tenderness offers a counter narrative to the objectifying tendencies prevalent in colonial photography. The photograph complicates the narrative by focusing on the personal connection between the individuals depicted. What does it mean to reclaim an image like this? Can it be a step towards restoring agency and identity to those who have been historically marginalized?