Tuinhuisje bij het huis van Eduard Douwes Dekker te Ingelheim en interieur Possibly 1883 - 1884

This is a pencil drawing of Eduard Douwes Dekker’s house in Ingelheim with an interior view, made by Carel Vosmaer sometime in the 19th century. Vosmaer, a contemporary of Dekker’s, captures the intimate relationship between domestic space and the broader landscape. Dekker, known by his pen name Multatuli, was a Dutch writer whose work often critiqued the social and political conditions of the Dutch East Indies. His writings, particularly his novel "Max Havelaar," challenged the colonial system, advocating for the rights and humanity of the Indonesian people. Vosmaer’s choice to depict Dekker’s home suggests an interest in the writer's personal sanctuary, a space where ideas of social justice and human dignity might have taken root. The drawing invites us to reflect on the spaces where activism and intellectual thought are nurtured. It reminds us that behind every call for justice, there are personal spaces shaped by the same values and principles.