Viaduct bij Sengon 1880 - 1888

This photograph, "Viaduct bij Sengon," was captured by Herman Salzwedel and is held at the Rijksmuseum. It invites us to consider the complex relationship between industrial progress and colonial expansion. Here, we see a train traversing a viaduct in Sengon, likely present-day Indonesia, then a Dutch colony. This image is more than just a landscape; it's a symbol of power, control, and the imposition of Western technology on foreign land. The train, a marvel of engineering, becomes a tool of colonization, facilitating the extraction of resources and the subjugation of local populations. The photograph also prompts reflection on the human cost of such "progress". The construction of the viaduct undoubtedly involved the exploitation of indigenous labor and the disruption of traditional ways of life. As you look at this image, consider the perspectives of those whose lives were irrevocably altered by the arrival of the railroad and the colonial project it represents. It leaves us with a sense of how technology and progress are always intertwined with power dynamics.