Brug over een rivier 1886

This photograph of a bridge over a river was taken by Kassian Céphas at an unknown date. As a photographer working in the Dutch East Indies, Céphas was known for his portraiture, as well as documentation of landscapes and archeological sites. Here, the sepia tones emphasize the material reality of the scene: the timber of the bridge, the rushing water, and the verdant foliage on either bank. The bridge itself looks to be assembled from roughly hewn planks, its construction more pragmatic than elegant. This is not a feat of engineering, but rather a necessary passage, enabling transport across the waterway. The presence of people and carts traversing the bridge reminds us of the hard labor involved in the movement of goods and materials. Photography, as a technology, also relied on the labor of its practitioners. Céphas, like other photographers of his time, would have been deeply involved in the chemistry of his craft, mixing and manipulating solutions to capture the light and create an image. Considering both the built environment and the work that went into creating this photograph invites us to reflect on the broader social and economic context of the Dutch East Indies.