Acht draagsters van sieraden van de sultan in de Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat in Jogyakarta, Indonesië before 1888

This photograph captures eight women in the Kraton of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and was taken by Kassian Céphas. Céphas was the first Javanese photographer and worked in the court of the Sultan, around the late 19th century. The photo offers us a glimpse into the lives and roles of women within the Javanese court. These women, likely servants or members of the court, are tasked with carrying the Sultan's jewelry, a role that signifies both responsibility and status within the Kraton. The black and white medium adds a layer of historical distance, yet the subjects' gaze seems to bridge the gap between then and now. While seemingly traditional, photographs like these developed alternative narratives of the East, moving away from orientalist paintings and towards ethnographic documentation. This image prompts us to consider the intersections of gender, labor, and representation in colonial Indonesia, and to reflect on the personal stories embedded within historical images.