Les Habitants de Suriname: From the 1883 Colonial Exhibition, Amsterdam

The exhibition ground (thanks wikipedia)

Before the World’s Fair, there was the Colonial Exhibition; a chance for the various imperialisms of Europe to exhibit all the terrific things they’d dug up around the world in a pleasant, civilized, atmosphere. The 1883 Amsterdam exhibition (Internationale Koloniale en Uitvoerhandel Tentoonstelling or Exposition Universelle Coloniale et d’Exportation Générale, as they catchily dubbed it) was one of the earliest, and took place on a stretch of land behind the Rijksmuseum — and sold over a million tickets during its run there. In addition to the tobacco, spices, and rubber, there was a simulated Suriname residence where 28 inhabitants lived for the duration of the fair in a “human zoo”. Prince Roland Bonaparte, the grandson of Napoleon’s brother Lucien, attended the fair and produced a lavishly illustrated folio volume. Included in the volume are chromolithographs of headdresses and ornamentation and photographs, from two angles in a sort of mugshot style, of the “inhabitants”. While the paternalism and condescension are much in evidence, (the “Congo Free State” wasn’t founded until 1884, after all) interestingly, the subjects names appear below each photo. This was a departure from the complete dehumanization popular before this and while probably not worthy of praise, is noteworthy. [click any of the images for a larger view]