The photograph depicted on this postcard shows a portrait of a man wearing a turban and garments that signify his status as a haji (a Muslim who has completed his pilgrimage to Mecca) posing with an umbrella against a backdrop of furniture. Printed on the verso: ‘Breifkaart uit Nederlandsch-Indie (Carte postale des Indes orientales néerlandaises.) / Algemeene Postvereeniging (Union Postale Universelle) / B. v. H. & R v. No. 1034’. Inscribed on the verso: ‘Lieve Bets / groetend / Dirk’ (‘Dear Bets / greetings / Dirk’).This postcard is attributed to Tio Tek Hong, a Chinese general merchant and postcard publisher who was based in the district of Weltevreden in Batavia in the early 20th century. The photography studio which took the portrait of the haji is unknown.Photographs and postcards depicting local landscapes and subjects of the colonial Dutch East Indies which were sent to Europe played an important role in influencing European perceptions of the colony.
