Batavia - Binnen Nieuwpoortstraat 1863 - 1866

Curator: This gelatin-silver print by Woodbury & Page, dating from between 1863 and 1866, offers a view of the Binnen Nieuwpoortstraat in Batavia. The image resides here in the Rijksmuseum. Editor: The tonality strikes me first—a subdued, almost sepia quality that mutes the harshness of the tropical light. The long receding lines create a strong perspective, drawing the eye deep into the image. Curator: Indeed. The photograph is a product of its time, representing both the growing interest in documenting colonial life and the developing photographic techniques. Think of the Dutch East Indies through the Western lens. Editor: And how the architectural forms emphasize verticality through repetition of rectangular forms--windows, doors--are rhythmically pleasing. Even the sparse trees on the left serve as counterpoints. It brings to mind 19th century developments of photographic syntax. Curator: I think its historical and cultural relevance transcends the formal arrangements you find so alluring, the photograph being symptomatic of Dutch colonialism during that era, subtly imposing the European ideas of urban planning onto Batavia, a statement of authority, really. Editor: I understand your perspective. Still, observe how the play of light and shadow gives depth to the structures. The uniformity of architecture is a fascinating motif which helps emphasize form. The repetitive forms lead towards abstraction, paradoxically so! Curator: I cannot divorce it from its problematic origins and function—that is its strength and, maybe, the burden that photographs bear: the indelible traces they leave of social reality, and of colonial ambition in particular. Editor: It is this dialectic that breathes the dynamism. To see within it both historical baggage and intrinsic aesthetics. A truly fascinating image that allows our perception to explore two opposing aspects. Curator: It truly gives new perspective when observed closely. Editor: Agreed, these 19th century works often show many more faces upon revisiting.