Gezicht op twee onbekende vrouwen met manden op het hoofd op een pad before 1897

Christiaan Johan Neeb created this photograph of two women with baskets on their heads, location unknown, sometime between 1860 and 1925. As a document of its time, the photograph offers insight into the colonial gaze and the representation of women within that context. We see the women on a path, their figures merging into the landscape. Consider how gender and labor intersect in this image. The baskets they carry suggest a life of work, yet their individual stories remain hidden, subsumed by the depiction of an exoticized "other." Note how they become figures in a landscape that emphasizes the natural and seemingly untouched, reinforcing colonial narratives of exploration and possession. What does it mean to look at this image today? It invites reflection on the power dynamics inherent in photography and the importance of understanding the complex histories embedded within seemingly simple scenes.