Bewerking van nootmuskaat door perkeniers 1875 - 1890

C. Dietrich's photograph captures the processing of nutmeg by perkeniers, or plantation workers, in the Dutch East Indies. This image invites us to reflect on the colonial dynamics that shaped the spice trade. The nutmeg, a highly coveted commodity, drove a system of labor exploitation and control, where the lives of indigenous workers were deeply affected by colonial economic interests. The workers are arranged in a circle; this circular arrangement could indicate both the communal nature of their work and the encompassing nature of the colonial system they were subjected to.   The act of photographing itself becomes part of the colonial narrative, an act of documenting and in some ways, possessing, the labor and the land. The photograph, then, serves not only as a historical document but also as a stark reminder of the human cost of global trade and the complex layers of power, identity, and exploitation embedded within it.