Souvenir aan den afgetreden Resident der Preanger-Regentschappen Jhr. E.Th.H. van Benthem van den Bergh

Curator: This is a rather fascinating broadside from 1903. The title, "Souvenir aan den afgetreden Resident der Preanger-Regentschappen Jhr. E.Th.H. van Benthem van den Bergh," indicates it commemorates the retirement of a Dutch colonial official. We can see it combines print and paper, perhaps with textile elements in the decorative border. It almost reads as both document and crafted object. What strikes you initially about this work? Editor: I’m drawn to the extensive typography – all those names listed, seemingly contributors to a gift. The souvenir aspect feels… practical, tied to a specific event and community, unlike a grand history painting. It is more of a social record than an artistic endeavor, wouldn’t you say? Curator: Precisely! Let’s consider the labor involved: designing the layout, typesetting, printing, perhaps even weaving that border. All point to a complex web of production. We need to think about the context, Preanger being a region in Java. This isn't just a souvenir, but a material representation of colonial power dynamics, of tribute and perhaps even obligation. Who were these people who contributed, and what was their relationship to the Resident? Editor: I hadn't thought about the labor involved in its making, focusing instead on its kind of... official quality. It also hints at a network of connections, all producing this piece and further pointing at Van Benthem van den Bergh's sphere of influence, and Dutch colonialism at large. So, this 'souvenir' is deeply enmeshed in those hierarchies. Curator: Exactly. It blurs the lines between commemorative art, functional document, and colonial instrument. Each element—the paper, the print, the list of names—speaks to the specific means and relations of its production and consumption within that historical context. The "souvenir" as an instrument of soft power... What do you make of that handwritten note above? Editor: I missed that! Now I am wondering, why are some of the words in it marked in blue? It brings an intimate note to what felt, moments before, like a monument, disrupting our perspective and highlighting how many interpretations and production steps may remain obscure to us. Curator: Indeed. It underlines how such seemingly straightforward objects are laden with complicated production networks. Editor: This really encourages me to question how we define art itself! Curator: As it should!