Niels Douwes Dekker Photography
The Niels Alexander Douwes Dekker Papers, housed in the University's Department of Manuscripts and Archives, Cornell University Library, represent a unique photographic and textual resource for investigating society and events in the Dutch East Indies during the final decade of colonial rule. The collection consists of more than eight thousand positive photographs, many accompanied by their negatives, along with unpublished manuscripts, copies of bulletins and news releases from the Government Information Service (RVD), and related materials including police reports, military command documents, and various correspondence. Photographs and documents about customs and traditional rituals provide cultural context for the turbulent political events of the period. The collection offers rare insights into various aspects of life throughout the archipelago, as well as the political environment and events during a critical period in modern Indonesian history.
Cornell University Library acquired this collection from Niels Alexander Douwes Dekker in 1973. Dekker, who was the great-grandnephew of Multatuli (Edward Douwes Dekker - author of the classic novel about life in the colonial Dutch East Indies, 'Max Havelaar'), was born in Batavia on May 26, 1911. He began his education in Bandung and later studied architecture in Delft and The Hague. As a professional photographer, artist, filmmaker, essayist, and public relations specialist, Douwes Dekker served as head of the Visual Information Service of the Dutch East Indies. Some of the photographs taken by Douwes Dekker and his staff members were published in his book 'Tanah Air Kita' (1951, The Hague: J.W. Van Hoeve, Ltd.) - please visit the collection homepage.
