Vier en een halve maand oude baby Klaas Kleiterp in de armen van zijn moeder Tine Kleiterp-Vermeulen in Malang 1920

This photograph captures four-and-a-half-month-old Klaas Kleiterp in the arms of his mother, Tine Kleiterp-Vermeulen, in Malang. Likely taken in the early 20th century by Klaas (I) Kleiterp, the father, this image reflects more than just a tender family moment. Malang, then part of the Dutch East Indies, was a colonial outpost. The photograph, with its composition and subjects, subtly speaks to the social hierarchy of the time. Consider the context: a Dutch family in a colonized land, their lives vastly different from the indigenous population. The simple act of documenting their family life becomes a statement of privilege. To truly understand this image, we need to delve into archives, colonial records, and family histories. Understanding how art is shaped by, and in turn shapes, society helps us see it not just as an aesthetic object but as a historical document.