Emplacement bij fermenteerschuur van de Senembah Maatschappij te Batang Kuis op Sumatra c. 1900 - 1920

This photograph depicts the Senembah Maatschappij fermentation barn emplacement in Batang Kuis, Sumatra. Look at these palm trees, symbols of bounty, beauty, and triumph throughout history. From ancient Mesopotamia to classical Greece, the palm branch signified victory and eternal life. Think of the goddess Nike and the athletes crowned after their victories. Similarly, in ancient Egypt, the palm represented immortality, linked to the sun god Ra rising each day. As the Roman Empire expanded, so did the association of palm trees with triumph, often depicted in art to celebrate military conquests. As Christianity spread, it became a symbol of martyrdom and spiritual victory, often carried during Palm Sunday processions. Notice how, even here, its symbolism persists, though transformed. This image, captured in a colonial context, subtly echoes those earlier associations of triumph, though now linked to colonial enterprise and control over resources.