Tine Kleiterp-Vermeulen met haar dochter Tiny op de arm in een tuin in Pangka op Java 1921

Klaas Kleiterp took this photograph of Tine Kleiterp-Vermeulen with her daughter Tiny in a garden in Pangka on Java. Although the date of the image is unknown, Kleiterp lived and worked in the Dutch East Indies in the early 20th century, amid the complex legacy of Dutch colonialism. In the photograph, Tine is dressed in a checkered dress, while Tiny is wrapped in an ornate lace dress. Both mother and child appear to be of European descent. The setting in Java adds layers of meaning. What does it mean to photograph a Dutch woman and child in the colony of Java? The image invites us to consider the dynamics of power, identity, and belonging within the colonial context. The photograph speaks to a personal story, yet it is also a cultural document. This intimate family scene prompts questions about the larger history of colonialism and its impact on individual lives and collective memory.