Het laatste saluut aan gouverneur Cornelis Lely bij zijn afscheid als gouverneur van Suriname (1902-1905) Possibly 1905 - 1912

Eugen Klein made this gelatin silver print between 1902 and 1905, documenting the farewell salute to Governor Cornelis Lely in Suriname. Photography, as a medium, is inherently tied to industrial production. From the manufacture of the camera and the chemical processes involved in developing the image, to the mass distribution of prints, it's a child of the industrial age. In this image, we see not only the evidence of colonial power structures, but also the impact of technology on documenting and disseminating these events. The crisp details, the range of tones achievable through the gelatin silver process, all speak to the advancements in material science of the time. Consider the labor involved in producing this image, from the photographer capturing the scene to the workers in the factory producing the photographic paper. Photographs like these provide a valuable window into understanding the intertwined relationship between technology, social hierarchy, and the representation of power. They challenge us to look beyond the surface and consider the complex network of labor and industry behind every image.