Java, het voornaamste eiland der Nederlandsche bezittingen in Azië. - 10,000,000 inwoners 1845

This print titled, "Java, the Main Island of the Dutch Possessions in Asia - 10,000,000 inhabitants," was created by Jan Schuitemaker. Made during a time of Dutch colonial expansion, this print offers a glimpse into the construction of an exoticized and economized vision of Java. It tells us as much about Dutch perceptions as it does about the realities of Javanese life. The inclusion of population statistics underscores the reduction of human lives to mere numbers, useful for colonial administration and resource extraction. The romanticized depictions of landscapes, such as "The Goenoeng-Gocator of Donderberg" and the "Palace at Buitenzorg," serve to both entice and reassure a European audience. These picturesque scenes mask the underlying exploitation and violence inherent in the colonial project. The local inhabitants, their labor, their stories—they are notably absent, rendered invisible in these landscapes. This erasure speaks volumes about who is allowed to have a voice and whose stories are deemed worthy of telling.