Rokende vulkaan de Smeroe in het Tenggergebergte, Java, Nederlands-Indië c. 1895 - 1915

Onnes Kurkdjian captured this photograph of the smoking Smeru volcano in the Tengger Mountains of Java, in the Dutch East Indies. The image invites us to consider the relationship between colonial administration and the representation of the natural world. The photograph’s stark contrast and dramatic composition evoke both the sublime power of nature and the vulnerability of human settlements in its shadow. Consider that this image was made during a period of Dutch colonial rule, where the landscape itself was both a resource to be exploited and a territory to be mapped and controlled. This photograph, therefore, reflects the complex interplay between scientific exploration, colonial ambition, and artistic expression. To truly understand this photograph, we might turn to colonial archives, travel narratives, and scientific reports from the period. These resources shed light on the social, political, and economic context in which this image was created. This photograph isn't just a depiction of a volcano; it's a window into a specific moment in the history of colonialism and environmental change.