Zes foto's van de schepen Sardegna en Rumania 1926 - 1929

Editor: This is "Zes foto's van de schepen Sardegna en Rumania," or Six Photos of the Ships Sardegna and Rumania, taken sometime between 1926 and 1929, by Carolina Frederika Onnen. They're albumen prints arranged on a dark background. I’m struck by the candid nature of these snapshots and the casual arrangements. What stories do you think they tell? Curator: These photographs offer a glimpse into a specific time, a specific social stratum, and a colonial gaze that often goes unacknowledged. Looking at these images, especially the ones featuring people on deck, I wonder about the dynamics at play. Who are these individuals? Are they passengers or crew? How does their position within the ship's hierarchy influence their portrayal in these photographs? Editor: That’s an interesting point. I hadn’t considered the hierarchy. Curator: Exactly. Consider the visual language: who is centered, who is peripheral? This work speaks to the politics embedded within seemingly innocuous snapshots. Photography has always been a tool with which identities could be constructed and then circulated, reifying particular social roles and structures of power. What do you think of the photograph of the person with the monkey? Editor: I see it, it seems to add a very unexpected and maybe exoticized element to the collection. Curator: Precisely! It highlights how cultural encounters were framed and documented during this era. By engaging with postcolonial theory and intersectional lenses, we are prompted to look deeper at what these photographs reveal about travel, identity, and the photographer's own perspective. This work invites us to consider marginalized voices. Editor: I see your point, that there is much more going on beneath the surface of what looks like someone's vacation photo album. Thank you for sharing your insights! Curator: Of course. Hopefully this offers you a chance to really consider the different meanings and complex messages embedded within the composition, medium and subject.