Twee jongens in een bagageruim van een schip. 1900 - 1915

This photograph by Johanna Hermina Marmelstein shows two boys in the baggage hold of a ship. The photograph presents us with questions about the society and culture of the time it was made, sometime in the first half of the 20th century. The image creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations, encouraging us to consider the colonial dynamics in play. The setting, a ship’s baggage hold, hints at journeys and displacement, themes deeply embedded in the history of colonialism. The expressions on the faces of the boys invite speculation about their lives and their futures. Was this image made as a sentimental record or to highlight the social impact of colonial policies? To fully understand this work, historical research into Dutch colonial history and the lives of colonized peoples, as well as Marmelstein’s personal history and artistic intentions, is required. It reminds us that art’s meaning is contingent on social and institutional contexts, and historical investigation is necessary to illuminate that meaning.