Gezicht op het restaurant in Artis in Amsterdam 1860 - 1890

This photograph captures the restaurant at the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam, taken by Andries Jager. Reflecting on this image, one can't help but consider the zoo's place within the social hierarchies of the 19th century. Zoos like Artis were spaces not just for entertainment but also for displaying and categorizing the natural world, often reinforcing colonial power dynamics through the exhibition of animals from colonized lands. The well-dressed visitors in the photograph, likely members of the Dutch upper class, emphasize the zoo as a site of leisure and social distinction. This was a space of cultural exchange but also a space of social division and control. It prompts us to question how we engage with and represent the natural world.