Aankomst van koningin Wilhelmina bij het academiegebouw van de universiteit te Leiden 1898 - 1915

Editor: Here we have Hendrik Jonker’s photographic print, "Arrival of Queen Wilhelmina at the Academy Building of Leiden University," created sometime between 1898 and 1915. The black and white tones lend a feeling of formality, of being in the past, a captured historical moment. What strikes you most about this image? Curator: It's interesting how Jonker uses photography, often seen as objective, to frame and legitimize power. The decorations, the awaiting crowd, it all constructs a narrative of national unity and reverence for the monarchy. How do we interpret this in the context of Dutch colonialism at the time? Editor: Colonialism? That’s not something I immediately thought about. Curator: Consider the timing. Queen Wilhelmina's reign coincided with the height of Dutch colonial power, particularly in Indonesia. The image, while seemingly a local event, subtly reinforces a hierarchy, a sense of national pride rooted, in part, in colonial exploitation. Does seeing the photograph through this lens change your understanding of the atmosphere it evokes? Editor: It definitely complicates it. The seemingly celebratory mood now feels...more deliberate, more constructed. Like it’s obscuring other realities. Curator: Exactly. Art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Even a seemingly straightforward photograph like this participates in larger discourses of power and identity. By exploring this, can we ask what Jonker is implicitly saying about Dutch society and its relationship to the world? Editor: That's fascinating. I came in thinking this was simply a historical record, but now I see how it actively participates in shaping historical narratives. Curator: And hopefully, encourages us to question those narratives. Editor: I'll never look at a historical photograph the same way again! Thank you.