Portret van Jean Baptiste Ka-Ja-Roe 1883 - 1884

This is an undated photograph by Friedrich Carel Hisgen, titled “Portret van Jean Baptiste Ka-Ja-Roe.” As a photographic print, the image is the result of a complex chain of industrial production: from the mining of materials needed for the camera and chemicals, to the factory manufacture of the paper on which the image is printed. The photograph appears to be part of a series portraying the inhabitants of Suriname, then a Dutch colony. The photograph’s materiality is interesting, because it's both a representation and an object in itself. Its slick surface contrasts with the direct, unadorned depiction of the sitter. The technology allows for what seems to be an objective likeness, but of course, the very act of photographing someone, particularly in a colonial context, is loaded with social and political meaning. By considering photography as a material process deeply embedded in social relations, we can better understand its power and complexity. It pushes us to consider the historical context and the labor involved in its creation. This brings new meaning to the history of creative practices and aesthetics, alongside that of fine art.