Administrateurswoning en tuin, vermoedelijk op Sumatra c. 1880 - 1910

This photograph, taken by Stafhell & Kleingrothe, shows an administrator's residence and garden, likely in Sumatra. Photographs like this were tools of colonial administration and commerce. The image itself, printed on paper, belies the complex processes it represents. Consider the labour involved in building the residence itself, constructed from local materials such as wood and thatch. These materials were transformed through carpentry and thatching—skills honed over generations. In contrast, the manicured garden speaks to a different kind of labor: the imposition of European ideals of order and control onto the landscape. The photograph flattens these contradictions, presenting a seemingly harmonious scene. Looking closely, we can discern the layers of skill and exploitation embedded within this seemingly simple image. It reminds us that all objects, even photographs, are products of their time and the social relations that shape them.