Onbekende man bij een tempel before 1895

This is a photograph by Michel Berthaud, a French photographer active in the late 19th century. Though the exact date is unknown, it comes from a period defined by French colonialism in Southeast Asia, including present-day Cambodia, where this temple is likely located. The image captures a man standing in front of an elaborately carved temple entrance, a visual shorthand for the dynamic between colonizer and colonized. Berthaud, like many photographers of his time, played a role in shaping Western perceptions of the East. The photograph invites us to consider the power dynamics inherent in the act of documentation and representation. What does it mean to frame someone else's culture through a foreign gaze? The temples are grand, but the man remains "unknown," stripped of his identity. Consider how this image, while ostensibly documenting a place, also constructs a narrative about cultural encounter, otherness, and the lasting impact of colonial history.