Twee Javaanse meisjes 1860 - 1890

This photograph of two Javanese girls was taken by Woodbury & Page, a studio that operated in the Dutch East Indies – now Indonesia – from 1857 to 1908. Such studios played a significant role in shaping Western perceptions of the East. The subjects are adorned in traditional Javanese attire, their poses and expressions carefully composed. The image is interesting because it highlights the dynamic between colonizer and colonized. The studio, owned and operated by Europeans, profits from portraying local people, arguably reinforcing existing power structures. The photograph invites us to consider the public role of art, and the politics of imagery. Colonial archives and historical societies can provide valuable insights into the social conditions that shaped artistic production during this period. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context.