Surinaamse Caraïben 1903 - 1910

Hendrik Doijer made this photograph, Surinaamse Caraïben, with a camera sometime between 1880 and 1925. I wonder, did Hendrik Doijer consider how this composition would reflect his own positionality? The cool tones and crisp light make me consider who the intended audience of this image was. Was Doijer trying to freeze a moment, or to communicate something larger? There is something about the arrangement of the figures that makes me feel like they are subjects on display, yet their direct gazes suggest something more complex. It makes me think about how we, as artists and viewers, are always implicated in the act of looking. Doijer was surely aware of the power dynamics at play, and his choices – what to include, what to leave out, and how to frame it all – give meaning to the photograph.