Korte broek gedragen door Jhr. Mr. Dr. A.W.L. Tjarda van Starkenborch Stachouwer 1936 - 1942

These are a pair of ‘Korte broek gedragen door Jhr. Mr. Dr. A.W.L. Tjarda van Starkenborch Stachouwer’ (Shorts Worn by Jonkheer Mr. Dr. A.W.L. Tjarda van Starkenborch Stachouwer) made by Ang. Bandoeng-Batavia-Amsterdam Savelkout. These shorts offer a tangible connection to the Dutch colonial past. Tjarda van Starkenborch Stachouwer, the wearer, was the last Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies before the Japanese occupation during World War II. Clothing like this evokes questions of identity, power, and the human experience within the machinery of colonial rule. Consider the cultural and political weight these garments carried, symbolic of Dutch authority, yet also deeply personal items worn by an individual navigating a complex historical landscape. Do these shorts represent an attempt to adapt to the tropical climate, or symbolize an imposition of Western norms? What stories do they whisper about the lives of both colonizers and colonized?