Park 1903 - 1910

Hendrik Doijer made this photograph, titled 'Park,' using gelatin silver. It’s a material process that transformed photography, making it cheaper and easier to produce, in turn democratizing visual culture, yet also encoding social hierarchies. Consider the park itself, the site of leisure, manicured and maintained—a space available to some, likely unavailable to others, depending on class or race. It’s a stage for the display of colonial power and wealth, captured through Doijer’s lens. The use of gelatin silver printing enhances the contrast and detail, emphasizing the structured composition of the park, and the crisp architectural lines of the building. Photography like this became a tool for documentation and promotion. It allowed for the circulation of images, reinforcing certain narratives and power structures. The ease of mass production belies the complex interplay of social forces at play in the image itself, reminding us of the critical role photography plays in shaping our understanding of history and society.