Landschap in voormalig Nederlands-Indië c. 1900

Onnes Kurkdjian, in the former Dutch East Indies, created this photograph using the wet collodion process, a complex and alchemic technique. This method required coating a glass plate with chemicals, exposing it in the camera while still wet, and then developing it immediately. The resulting image, printed on paper, captures a landscape likely shaped by colonial agriculture. The very act of photography in this context speaks to power dynamics. It was used to document and, in a way, claim territory and resources. The labor involved extended beyond the photographer to include those who cultivated the land, often under exploitative conditions. This image is not just a pretty view; it's a record of a specific time and place shaped by complex social and economic forces. By considering the materials and processes behind it, we can better understand the full story it tells.