Batavia - Mr. Heinecken's huis Cramat 1863 - 1866

This albumen print, titled "Batavia - Mr. Heinecken's Huis Cramat," was made by Woodbury & Page. The photographic process itself is key here. This image was created using the albumen process, a popular 19th-century technique that involved coating paper with egg white to create a glossy surface for the photographic emulsion. The material qualities of albumen—its transparency, its ability to create a smooth surface—contributed to the clarity and detail of the image. Consider also the social context of photography at this time. Photography was a relatively new technology, and its use in documenting colonial life in places like Batavia, now Jakarta, reflects the expansion of European power and influence. The act of photographing these homes, likely owned by wealthy Dutch colonials, speaks to the power dynamics at play, and the ways in which photography was used to capture and disseminate images of colonial life back to Europe. In appreciating this photograph, it is important to consider the technologies and social context within which it was created.