Een suikerfabriek 1876 - 1884

This image of a sugar factory, by Herman Salzwedel, is a photograph: a material that has, since its invention, changed the way we see the world and record its histories. The photograph's sepia tones give it a certain antique quality, but its subject matter speaks to the relentless march of industrialization. It shows a sugar factory, likely in Southeast Asia given the artist's activity in that region. The factory itself is a large, imposing structure, with tall chimneys belching smoke, and you can see the workers outside, small in comparison to the scale of the building. Consider the sugar-making process: from the harvesting of the cane, to its processing in the factory, and the labor involved at every stage. These are the hidden elements within this image, suggesting complex social and economic relations between the colonial powers and the countries they exploited for raw materials. Photographs such as this one, demonstrate how even a seemingly straightforward image can reveal so much about the world and its systems of production.