Toegangsweg tot Karbouwengat bij Fort de Cock op Sumatra c. 1900 - 1920

This albumen print was made by Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis, depicting Sumatra. The image offers a glimpse of how photography became a tool of colonial documentation. Nieuwenhuis used photographic chemistry and printing, which were still relatively novel technologies at the time, to capture the landscape of Sumatra. It shows the imposing scale of the natural environment, but also the mark of human presence in the road and fortifications. The albumen print process, known for its fine detail and tonal range, gives a tangible quality to the scene. This production method was painstaking, requiring a glass negative, and a print coated with albumen from egg whites. This process reflects the intersection of science, skill, and material resources that underpinned early photography. Consider the social context in which this image was made, and how this technology shaped perceptions of place and power. In that sense, even a photograph can be understood through its making.