Defilé van de Duitse Reichsarbeitsdienst Possibly 1940 - 1948

This photograph by Polygoon captures the German Reich Labour Service marching in Amsterdam. The date is unknown, but it was taken during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. In the image, uniformed figures are lined up in perfect formation, marching in lockstep. The location is significant: they parade in front of the Rijksmuseum. The Labour Service was ostensibly a civilian organisation, but it was used by the Nazi regime for indoctrination and to enforce labour conscription. The photograph's existence raises questions about the role of institutions like the Rijksmuseum during wartime. Was the museum complicit in allowing its public space to be used for such a display of power? To truly understand this image, we need to consult archives, historical records, and survivor testimonies. Art history must also be a history of institutions, ideology, and cultural memory.