Portret van een onbekende Indonesische kinderverzorgster (destijds 'baboe' genoemd) met baby op schoot 1870 - 1890

Editor: This is a photographic portrait from between 1870 and 1890, currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. The artist is Heinrich Wilhelm Wollrabe, and the title translates to “Portrait of an unknown Indonesian nursemaid… with baby on her lap.” It has such an intimate and yet distant feeling. How do you read the symbols present in the picture? Curator: That distance you perceive is significant, because photographs from this period become charged objects, capturing both the sitter's presence and a complex colonial relationship. It makes you wonder about the unnamed sitter – her cultural context and lived experience – and how that intertwines with the symbols and details around her. For example, look at her batik sarong, the specific patterns probably signified her region or social standing. The carefully carved table suggests a certain level of imposed Westernization, and consider how the baby's Western-style clothing contrasts with the woman's traditional attire. Editor: So the juxtaposition of Western and Indonesian elements creates meaning? Curator: Precisely! It is a dialogue of cultures – a visual record laden with the complexities of power dynamics. Even the simple act of taking the photograph, the way she's positioned, and the baby's posture, all tell stories about status, ownership, and cultural exchange in colonial Indonesia. The photograph operates almost like a cultural artifact preserving history. Editor: It's amazing how much a single image can convey. I will definitely spend more time observing the symbols. Curator: Indeed. This photograph invites us to contemplate whose story is being told and whose is being overlooked. What do you see it representing in the 21st century?