Padang. Hotel 1863 - 1869

This albumen print shows a hotel in Padang, Indonesia, and was made by the commercial photography firm Woodbury & Page. The image invites us to consider the cultural exchanges happening in Indonesia during the colonial era. The photograph's composition is striking. Large trees frame the hotel building, creating a sense of depth and enclosure. The architecture blends European and Indonesian styles, reflecting the cultural fusion of the time. The figures seated outside suggest a moment of leisure and interaction, hinting at the social life within this colonial setting. Padang, on the west coast of Sumatra, was an important trading post for the Dutch East India Company. As such, hotels like this were key to the infrastructure of colonial commerce and governance. To understand this image more fully, one could consult travel accounts, colonial archives, and studies of architectural styles in colonial Indonesia. Through such research, the photograph reveals its place in a complex web of social and institutional relations.