Exhibition "In the Forests of Borneo"
The Photo Album
Extra content:
Photographic album by Margaret Brooke (unpublished) 1897,Natural History Museum of Florence, Botany Collections.
In the Botany section of the Natural History Museum of Florence, an unpublished photographic album is preserved, created by Margaret Brooke in Sarawak and donated by her to Odoardo Beccari in 1897, as stated in the dedication it contains..
The arrangement of the photographs is orderly and methodical: uniformity in format, printing technique, and image placement on the page reduces the overall aesthetic effect but emphasizes the album’s documentary function. The collection is divided into four main groups: anthropological portraits, ethnographic scenes, natural environments and landscapes, and objects and tools.
At the same time, the album reflects a colonial perspective, portraying members of the Malay aristocracy and their subjects as part of a visual inventory of the kingdom, highlighting Western control over the territory.
Simultaneously, an intimate and private dimension can also be discerned: photographs of Margaret herself, taken inside her home and showing her personal belongings, create a counterpoint to the official narrative, introducing elements of subjectivity and personal memory. The images document the succession of public and private moments in the Ranee’s life — from the grand reception halls to the most private rooms of the Astana — making this album a unique and valuable object where scientific documentation, aesthetics, and storytelling coexist in a delicate balance.
Dedication from Margaret Brooke to Odoardo Beccari, photographic album by Margaret Brooke (unpublished) 1897, Natural History Museum of Florence, Botany Collections.