Gezicht op de Emmahaven in Padang c. 1900 - 1920

This sepia-toned photograph captures Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis' view of the Emmahaven in Padang. Nieuwenhuis, born in 1863, lived and worked during a time when Dutch colonial power in Indonesia was at its peak. What strikes me is the stillness of the scene, which belies the bustling activity that must have characterized this port. The image offers a glimpse into the economic engine of the colonial enterprise, a site of resource extraction. It reminds us to consider the labor and lives of the Indonesian people who were integral to this system. The photograph also offers an emotional landscape, the contrast between the serene backdrop of the Sumatran hills and the industrial activity in the foreground. It encapsulates the complex relationship between colonizer and colonized, and the tensions between the desire for progress and the exploitation of both people and resources.