W. de Waard, E.M. Wissman, B. Sneller en Van de Dussen- Marceau. In de gebouwen te Soerabaja 1901

This undated photograph, taken by an anonymous photographer, depicts four men identified as W. de Waard, E.M. Wissman, B. Sneller, and Van de Dussen-Marceau, in Surabaya, Indonesia. These are likely Dutch colonial officials, pictured during a period of Dutch colonial rule in Indonesia. The men, dressed in white uniforms, exude an air of authority and control, emblematic of the power dynamics inherent in colonial relationships. The setting, possibly a government building, reinforces this sense of institutional dominance and the everyday lives of the colonizers. The image prompts us to consider the lives impacted by colonial power, the histories and identities of those who were subjected to colonial rule, and the social and political complexities of the time. In the silence of this image, we can reflect on the legacy of colonialism.