Kaart van de Molukken, Celebes, Timor en het westelijke deel van het eiland Nieuw-Guinea 1855

Editor: This is F. Cronenberg's "Kaart van de Molukken, Celebes, Timor en het westelijke deel van het eiland Nieuw-Guinea," a lithograph from 1855. It’s fascinating to see this region rendered so precisely, but there's also something unsettling about how matter-of-fact it seems. What stories do you see hidden within this map? Curator: It’s interesting you pick up on that sense of unease. Maps like these, produced during the height of colonial expansion, were never neutral documents. They were instruments of power, used to claim and control territory. Look closely – whose perspective is prioritized here? How does this representation serve the interests of the colonizer? Editor: I see what you mean. The level of detail feels less about accurate representation for the people who lived there, and more like cataloging resources for exploitation. Curator: Exactly. And the very act of mapping – of imposing a European framework onto these diverse islands – erases existing indigenous knowledge and ways of relating to the land and sea. Consider also how the aesthetics of "Orientalism," as seen in the clean lines and supposedly objective presentation, mask the violence inherent in the colonial project. What impact does it have when the other is portrayed with pseudo-scientific objectivity? Editor: It makes it feel inevitable, like it's a neutral description of a situation rather than an active process of domination. I never considered maps as having such a forceful voice. Curator: These visual representations were vital to establishing and maintaining dominance. Even today, it prompts us to ask, who has the authority to draw the lines, and whose stories are centered in the telling? What narratives are erased in the process? Editor: Seeing it in this light completely changes my understanding of 19th-century cartography. Curator: Precisely! And that deeper questioning, beyond face value, helps us critically re-evaluate this historical artwork.