Kolf van een geweer before 1867

This photograph of a rifle stock is by Edouard Magis. We cannot put a precise date on the image, but Magis was active during a time of significant colonial expansion. The photograph, seemingly straightforward, gains complexity when considered in the context of 19th-century power dynamics. How do we understand the image of a firearm when we consider European colonialism and its impact on subjugated populations? The clean lines and stark presentation of the rifle could be seen as a symbol of the supposed order and technological advancement that colonizers used to justify their actions. Yet, the image also evokes the violence and oppression inflicted upon colonized people, disrupting any narrative of progress. Perhaps Magis intended neither celebration nor condemnation, but the photograph, viewed today, compels us to reflect on the legacy of colonialism and its lingering effects on identity, power, and representation.