Batavia - Borneo Company Limited 1863 - 1866

Curator: Oh, there's something deeply haunting about this photograph, isn't there? Like a faded memory trying to claw its way back. Editor: Well, that could be because it's "Batavia - Borneo Company Limited," taken sometime between 1863 and 1866 by Woodbury & Page. It’s a gelatin-silver print showcasing the Dutch colonial presence in what is now Indonesia. Curator: Gelatin-silver… feels like the alchemy of another era. It’s funny, seeing it now, I’m hit by this almost oppressive sense of stillness. Those dark archways feel less like invitations and more like silent judgments. Editor: That's an interesting take. I see it more as a document, a visual record of colonial enterprise. The Borneo Company was a major player in resource extraction and trade in the region. Curator: But it's precisely that 'enterprise' that creates that unease, doesn't it? Look at those figures standing there, so still, so composed. Are they symbols of progress, or of something much darker being imposed? Editor: I think that reading requires understanding the visual language of the time. Photography, then, was often used to project an image of power and order. Curator: Which only strengthens my initial reaction! The photograph's "order" feels incredibly constructed, almost fragile. Like a façade waiting to crumble and reveal something unpleasant. And the shadows seem to hint at so many unspoken truths... Editor: It certainly prompts reflection on how the legacies of colonialism are framed and visualized, both then and now, offering insight into its long-term socio-political implications and the role images play in shaping those perceptions. Curator: Exactly! Perhaps this image has served as a point of contemplation on our role of bearing witness. The echoes of a place, a time, an imprint left for our senses to interpret, each time in its own unique manner.