Gezicht langs de Belawan rivier, Roemah Kinangkang, Sumatra (Belawan Fluss, Roemah Kinangkang) c. 1885 - 1900

Carl Kleingrothe made this photograph of the Belawan River in Sumatra, Indonesia, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It's a seemingly straightforward landscape, but it was produced during a period of intense colonial activity in the region, and that gives it a more complex charge. European powers, including the Dutch, who controlled Indonesia at the time, were keen to document and exploit the natural resources of their colonies. Photographs like this one served multiple purposes. On one hand, they could be used to promote the idea of a lush, exotic paradise, encouraging further investment and settlement. On the other, they provided a visual inventory of the landscape, aiding in resource extraction and infrastructure development. To fully understand this image, we can research the history of Dutch colonialism in Sumatra, the economic interests driving it, and the role of photography in shaping perceptions of the colonized world. By doing so, we can appreciate how even a seemingly neutral landscape photograph can be deeply implicated in power dynamics.