Elderly Javanese Man with his Dutch Army Decorations, John Thiessen, 1949
gelatin silver print, w 20cm × h 29cm
More details
© John Thiessen/Stichting FotoAnoniem
When Indonesia broke free from the Netherlands, violence erupted between the Dutch and the Indonesian nationalists. The international press featured biased articles by, among others, photojournalist Thiessen. According to him, the country was not yet ready for self-rule. He manipulated his photograph, asking this Javanese man in rags, a former soldier, to pin his medals on once more. The caption read: ‘Still loyal to the Dutch.’