Twee Syrische lijfwachten aan boord van de S.M.Y. Hohenzollern voor de kust van Lesbos, Griekenland before 1899

This photograph was taken by Empress Augusta Victoria of Germany, capturing two Syrian bodyguards aboard the S.M.Y. Hohenzollern off the coast of Lesbos. Photography, unlike painting or sculpture, relies heavily on the technology and chemistry of its time. The gelatin silver process used here allowed for sharper images than ever before, creating a stark realism. But consider the social dynamics at play. The act of photography itself, made accessible through industrial processes, becomes a tool of empire. The bodyguards are framed through the eye of the colonizer, their labor and presence reduced to an exotic subject. The photograph is a mass-produced object, easily disseminated, while the lives and labor of those depicted are far removed from the viewer's experience. The image invites us to consider not just what is shown, but also the processes and power structures that make such images possible. It challenges us to look beyond the surface and recognize the complex interplay of labor, politics, and representation inherent in the making of this photograph.