Vrouw met framboesia 1929

This photograph, titled 'Vrouw met framboesia' and taken by Hospitaal Batak Instituut around 1929, captures a woman identified as Kobuti from Atjeh, now Aceh, Indonesia, afflicted with framboesia. Produced within the context of the Hospitaal Batak Instituut, a colonial medical institution, this image straddles the line between medical documentation and ethnographic representation. The photograph brings forward questions about how colonial powers cataloged and perceived indigenous bodies, reducing individuals to subjects of disease. Kobuti's gaze meets ours with a quiet strength, yet her identity is mediated by the colonial gaze, labeled only by her condition and approximate age. While seemingly objective, the image carries the weight of colonial power dynamics. The choice to display her vulnerability raises ethical questions about consent, agency, and the power imbalances inherent in medical photography of the time. It serves as a chilling reminder of the human cost of colonial medicine and the reduction of individuals to mere case studies.