Waterval op Java c. 1857 - 1870

"Waterval op Java," or Waterfall in Java, is a photograph made by the commercial photography studio Woodbury & Page. The firm operated in the Dutch East Indies from 1857 to 1908. In this image, we see a seemingly untouched tropical landscape, however, photographs like these played a significant role in constructing a romanticized, colonial vision of Java. They were widely circulated in Europe, reinforcing ideas of exoticism and the natural resources of the East. Consider the power dynamics inherent in the act of photographing a landscape and its inhabitants. Who gets to represent whom, and for what purposes? "Waterval op Java" invites us to reflect on how images shape our understanding of different cultures, and what is often left unseen. The photograph invites us to consider the gaze behind the lens and its implications on identity, representation, and power.