Portret van drie Indonesische mannen 1857 - 1880

This portrait of three Indonesian men was created by Woodbury & Page using a photographic process during the colonial era. During this time photography was frequently used as a tool of documentation and control in colonial contexts. The men are seated, and photographed from the waist up. They wear traditional head coverings and cloths around their waists. It’s important to consider how power dynamics played out in the creation of images like this. Who had control over the representation, and what narratives were being constructed and circulated about the colonized people? These photographs often served to reinforce existing power structures. It's a photograph that raises questions about cultural exchange, representation, and the complex relationships between colonizer and colonized. When we look at this image, we might think about the untold stories and individual experiences of these men, beyond the frame of the photograph.