Zicht vanuit een trein op een woestijn in Syrië 1898

Johannes Lodewijk Heldring created this photograph of the Syrian desert from a train, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. It presents a seemingly neutral view, but is deeply embedded in the colonial context of the period. Heldring, a Dutchman, likely traveled to Syria thanks to expanding railway networks built by European powers, keen to exploit resources and exert political influence in the region. The photograph romanticizes the idea of traversing vast landscapes with ease, enabled by technological advancements. However, it also obscures the environmental impact and the displacement of local communities that these projects entailed. The photograph's inscription, "Along the railway through the desert," further emphasizes this narrative of progress. To fully understand the photograph, we might consult railway construction company archives, colonial records, and accounts from the Syrian population. We can then appreciate that even seemingly objective landscape photographs are implicated in the complex social, economic, and political conditions of their time.