Candi Sembadra, general view of the northwest side. Dieng plateau, Wonosobo district, Central Java province, 8th-9th century Possibly 1864 - 1867

This photograph of Candi Sembadra was taken by Isidore Kinsbergen in the late 19th century. The image captures the northwest side of this ancient Hindu temple, located on the Dieng Plateau in Central Java. Kinsbergen was a pioneering photographer in the Dutch East Indies and his work played a role in the colonial project. During this period, the Dutch colonial government began to take an interest in documenting and preserving the archeological sites in Java as a way of establishing a longer cultural history and control over the region. Photography became a tool for inventorying the cultural landscape and presenting it to both local and international audiences. As an art historian, my task is to examine how the images create meaning within the social and institutional context of the time, which involves looking into colonial archives, travelogues, and early archeological reports.