Oerbos met beek te Boengei-Belawan op Sumatra before 1898

Carl Kleingrothe made this photograph of a forest stream in Belawan, Sumatra, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. It presents a vision of untamed nature, a dense jungle with a stream flowing through it, and it offers a window into the colonial gaze of the Dutch East Indies. The photograph creates meaning through its composition and the strategic use of light and shadow. Kleingrothe presents the landscape as both exotic and knowable. Words at the bottom describe it both in the local language and as a ‘Virgin Jungle’, implicitly ready for Western exploitation. Such imagery served to reinforce the idea of the East Indies as a land of untapped resources, ripe for colonial exploitation. This photograph is part of a larger visual archive that supported Dutch colonial ambitions. To fully understand this artwork, one needs to delve into the history of Dutch colonialism, exploring the economic and political motivations that drove the Dutch East India Company. Research into photography as a tool of colonial power can reveal much about the complex relationship between art, culture, and imperialism.