Smalspoorbaan op fabrieksterrein 1890 - 1910

Otto Hisgen captured this image titled 'Smalspoorbaan op fabrieksterrein' which translates to Narrow-Gauge Railway on Factory Grounds. It shows a plantation in what was then the Dutch East Indies, sometime between 1900 and 1940. The narrow-gauge railway is the focal point. It was a technology which facilitated the efficient transport of resources. Looking at this photograph, it’s impossible to ignore the legacy of colonialism and its impact on both the land and its people. The industrial facility represents the exploitation of natural resources and the local population. What stories are buried in this landscape? Where did the raw materials end up? What labor was needed to extract and transport those materials? Who benefited from this industry and who was exploited? Hisgen’s photograph invites us to reflect on the complex dynamics of power, labor, and environmental change that shaped this corner of the world. While rooted in a specific time and place, this image echoes the broader histories of colonialism, industrialization, and globalization.