Familiefoto's 1938 - 1939

Editor: This work is called "Familiefoto's," created around 1938 or 1939. It’s a series of gelatin-silver prints mounted on paper and it is on display here at the Rijksmuseum. It’s giving me a nostalgic, personal feeling, like flipping through someone’s old photo album. How do you interpret this work? Curator: This album of family photographs offers a compelling lens through which to examine colonial history and personal narratives. Look closely at the handwritten annotations and the settings depicted. Do you notice the repeated locations like "Bolohan," "Todjamboe," and "Passanggrahan?" Editor: I do. What’s the significance of that? Curator: These place names hint at the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. In the late 1930s, these would have been sites of Dutch colonial activity. This album, therefore, isn't just a collection of family snapshots, it's a visual document embedded within the complex social and political context of colonialism. The photographs show us how the colonial project played out in everyday life through these people in Indonesia. Editor: So, looking at the album, are we meant to consider themes of power and representation, thinking about who is taking these photos, and whose story gets told? Curator: Exactly. Whose narrative are we seeing? What is intentionally included? What might be conspicuously absent? These are critical questions when we are considering visual records made within asymmetrical power dynamics. Even seemingly innocent family photos can become revealing historical documents, prompting us to think critically about colonial legacies and the construction of identity. What do you make of the seemingly candid nature of some of the images? Editor: It makes me question everything. This has shown me there is always more to the artwork than meets the eye. I thought it was an old photo album but there are important lessons about cultural complexities connected to the families in the artwork.