Samarang - Hotel 1863 - 1869

Woodbury and Page made this photograph of the Samarang Hotel in Java, Indonesia, likely in the late 19th century. It shows a colonial building, a kind of architecture that was a visual symbol of Dutch power in the region. The image uses visual codes to present a particular view of colonial life. The hotel, framed by lush trees, suggests a tranquil and orderly existence. But this serenity is deceptive. Hotels like these were exclusive spaces that catered to European colonizers, reinforcing social hierarchies and racial segregation. They were institutions built on the exploitation of the local population and the extraction of resources. To understand this photograph, we need to look at the economic and political context of Dutch colonialism in Indonesia. Museum archives, historical documents, and studies of colonial architecture would help us to understand how the built environment was used to establish and maintain colonial power.