Greetings from Jakarta: Postcards of a Capital 1900-1950 by Scott Merrillees

S C O T T

M E R R I L L E E S

JAKARTA Postcards

of

a

Capital

1900-1950

Hanusz Publishing LLC www.hanusz.com Greetings from Jakarta: Postcards of a Capital 1900-1950 ISBN 978-979-3780-88-7 First edition 2012, Second edition 2013, Third Edition 2019 Copyright ©2019 Scott Merrillees All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or electronic transmission of any part without the author’s permission is prohibited.

Printed in Malaysia on 200gsm Hansol Titan Front Jacket .............................................Postcard 274 Endpapers ................................. Postcards 84 and 120 Back Jacket ..............................................Postcard 256 All postcards and maps are from the collection of Scott Merrillees Note on Place Names and Spelling Jakarta was known as Batavia from 1619-1942 (although the Dutch might argue that Batavia was the city’s name until 1949) at which point it became Djakarta. With the new spelling for the Indonesian language introduced in 1972, Djakarta became Jakarta.

The concept of “Indonesia” as we know it today didn’t exist during the VOC era (1619-1799), when the focus was predominantly on Java and the “spice islands” of the Moluccas. From 1800, as the Dutch government gradually expanded and consolidated authority over its colony through until the beginning of the Japanese occupation in 1942, Indonesia was known as the Netherlands Indies or as Netherlands India.

Most streets in colonial Jakarta had Dutch names which were then given Indonesian names after independence. A list of the old names and their modern equivalents applicable to the postcards in this book appears in Appendix III. For ease of recognition by the reader, I have throughout this book used only Jakarta (instead of Batavia), Indonesia (instead of the Netherlands Indies or Netherlands India) and used only the modern street names, unless it was felt especially relevant for any particular postcard to refer to the colonial era names.

For Theresia, Maxi and Nicole with fondest love ...and for the little boy in postcard 360 in the hope that his future was much brighter.

CONTENTS Foreword ........................................................................................................... 9 Introduction .................................................................................................... 11

chapter one: 1900 to 1920

The Old Jakarta in the North ...................................... 19 chapter two: 1900 to 1920

The New Jakarta in the South ..................................... 57 chapter three: 1920 to 1950

The End of the Colonial Era ...................................... 149 appendix i

People, Work and Entertainment ............................................................. 215 appendix ii

The Earliest Picture Postcards of Jakarta ................................................ 233 appendix iii

Selected Old and New Street Names........................................................ 242 Index .............................................................................................................. 243 Selected Bibliography .................................................................................. 246 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................... 248

photo: geoff edwards

Scott Merrillees (1962) was born in Melbourne, Australia, and began studying the Indonesian language at school in Melbourne in 1975. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Melbourne in 1984, with majors in accounting and Indonesian studies. Scott worked in Jakarta from 1989-2006 in equity research, stock broking and investment banking and then again from 2008 in commercial banking, covering the mining industry, before entering the mining industry himself in 2011.

During his twenty years in Jakarta, Scott has collected early photographs and picture postcards of the city and researched their contents using his own extensive library as well as by many hundreds of hours walking around the streets of Jakarta, camera in hand, looking for the old buildings, monuments and landmarks he found in the photographs and postcards from his collection.

Greetings from Jakarta: Postcards of a Capital 1900-1950, is Scott’s second book on Jakarta’s fascinating history. The first, Batavia in Nineteenth Century Photographs, was published in 2000. Combined, the two books portray a now almost vanished city over the span of a century from the late 1850s up until the end of the 1940s.

Scott married Theresia in Jakarta in 1992 and they have two children, Maxi and Nicole, who were both born and baptized in Jakarta.

FOREWORD

T

his book is the continuation of a personal journey of discovery to try and understand the development of Jakarta and to answer the questions: what did Jakarta look like in the past and how did it evolve into the city it is today?

The journey began with my first book, Batavia in Nineteenth Century Photographs, which covers the period from the end of the 1850s through to the middle of the 1890s, drawing upon 155 of the earliest photographs ever taken of the city. This second book, Greetings from Jakarta: Postcards of a Capital 1900-1950, provides a window into the period 1900 to 1950 and reveals Jakarta to us through 460 picture postcards published between the 1890s and the late 1940s that I have collected over the past twenty years. Accordingly, both books combined show us the development of a capital city over the span of a century from the middle of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century, in essence the last hundred years of colonial rule.

This journey of discovery is a very personal one for me as a resident of Jakarta from 1989 until 2006 and then again from 2008 until the time of writing in 2012. Jakarta is the city where I have spent most of my adult life, where I married my wife Theresia in 1992 and where our two children Maxi and Nicole were born in 1993 and 1995 respectively. It is the city where I have spent hundreds of hours over the past fifteen years walking around the streets, with camera in hand, looking for the old buildings, shops, offices, houses, schools, landmarks, monuments, infrastructure, large roads and small alleys which appear in the postcards and in

the old photographs to see if they still exist and, if so, what they are used for now, and if not, what exists in their place?

Throughout my research the “concept of place” has been very important to me. I have only included postcards in this book where I could precisely identify the location of the subject. I wanted to go back to those locations and stand where the photographers of the past had stood all those years before and try and see what they saw.

In an old Jakarta guidebook, published around 1926, it was observed “Historic Jakarta...! What a pity it is that so little is left of the old town of Batavia, once in the 17th and 18th centuries, known throughout the East as the ‘Queen City of the Orient’.” If a writer eighty-five years ago can lament the loss of so much of Jakarta’s history, we can only say that he was fortunate by comparison to ourselves to have still had so many more reminders of the city’s past around him then than we do now early in the 21st century, when so large a part of Jakarta’s heritage has either been destroyed or just allowed to decay.

As with my first book, I invite readers to share my personal journey of discovery of Jakarta’s evolution through this book in the hope that they will have a greater appreciation of the development of this wonderfully fascinating city and gain insights that they might not have noticed before. I also warmly welcome any comments and additional information from readers as well as news of other postcards showing aspects of Jakarta that do not appear in this book to: scott.merrillees@gmail.com.

Scott Merrillees Jakarta, August 2019

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10

Jakarta in 1903

INTRODUCTION

T

he maps of Jakarta from 1903 and 1910 on pages 10 and 12 show a city that is barely recognizable to any modern resident or visitor. They reveal (coloured pink and red respectively) a long narrow city that stretches almost thirteen kilometres from north to southeast.

Jakarta then had two very distinct districts which would have been well understood by the majority of inhabitants at the time.

There was the old city in the north near the coast of the Java Sea that is best known today as Kota, Glodok, Sunda Kelapa and Pasar Ikan and dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries. There was also the new city in the south, usually called Weltevreden and later Batavia Centrum, which developed from early in the 19th century around Medan Merdeka (which appears as the large white Koningsplein or King’s Square near the centre of both maps) and Lapangan Banteng. These two districts were connected by a straight three-kilometre long canal called the Molenvliet (Mill Way) with roads on either side that are now Jalan Gajah Mada (previously Molenvliet West) and Jalan Hayam Wuruk (Molenvliet Oost or Molenvliet East).

To reflect the distinction between the old city in the north and the new city in the south in this book, the period 1900-1920 has been divided into two chapters (Chapters One and Two) to help readers understand Jakarta as residents a century ago would have known it and see the city as they did.

the old city in the north

In the first half of the 20th century, the old city in the north was known as the oude stad (old city), oud Batavia (old Batavia) and

benedenstad (downtown), as can be seen printed on several of the postcards in Chapter One. It was sometimes also called the lower town. The old city included the oude havenkanaal (old port), to distinguish it from the much larger new port at Tanjung Priok which was completed nine kilometres away in 1886. There was also Jakarta’s largest Chinatown at Glodok. Until the end of the colonial era, the old city would remain the commercial heart of Jakarta with many European business houses located in the vicinity of Kali Besar, Pintu Besar and Taman Fatahillah while the vibrant Chinese trading hub at Glodok centred on Pintu Kecil, Toko Tiga and Pancoran.

The old city in the north was the creation of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (Dutch East Indies Trading Company or VOC), which founded Batavia (Jakarta) in 1619 and controlled it until just a few years before their charter expired in 1799.

Jakarta during this period was therefore a “company town” under the authority of a Board of Directors (sometimes known as the “Gentlemen Seventeen”) in Amsterdam. The VOC never envisaged Jakarta becoming a major and important city. They just needed an outpost on Java to be a supply base for the highly profitable spice trade route between Europe and the Moluccas in north-eastern Indonesia, so that their ships could be repaired and replenished with food and water and so their crews could rest on dry land. With hostile neighbours threatening them from Banten and Central Java, the VOC built a stone wall around their tiny settlement during the 1630s and 1640s, making Jakarta a walled city complete with a castle in the north-eastern corner.

Under the VOC, Jakarta reached its peak in the 1730s when

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12

Jakarta in 1910

introduction

it was famously known as the “Queen City of the East”, but then went into decline through to the end of the 18th century due to disease, corruption and the loss of monopoly profits from the spice trade. So high was the mortality rate in the second half of the 18th century that the “Queen City of the East” soon became the “Graveyard of Europeans” or the “Graveyard of Dutchmen”. the new city in the south

The new city in the south was the bovenstad (uptown or the upper town) which developed around Medan Merdeka, Lapangan Banteng, Jalan Juanda, Jalan Veteran, Jalan Majapahit, Prapatan, Kebon Sirih and Tanah Abang. But the new city in the south was best known as Weltevreden (meaning “well contented”) after a large private estate that was built near Pasar Senen on the site of what is now the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in the 18th century and which survived until around 1820.

The name Weltevreden appears on many of the postcards in Chapter Two. It also sometimes appears as “Batavia (Weltevreden)” and also as “Weltevreden – Batavia” to reflect the general understanding that while Batavia was the overall name for the capital city of the Netherlands Indies, that Weltevreden was a very distinct and identifiable district of Batavia in its own right. From the 1930s the name Weltevreden gave way to Batavia Centrum (Central Batavia) and this is reflected in some of the postcards in Chapter Three where Batavia-Centrum or Batavia-C is printed on them.

The new city in the south was born against a backdrop of the Napoleonic wars in Europe. Emperor Louis Napoleon of Holland (the younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte) appointed Marshal Herman Willem Daendels to be governor-general of Java in 1808 with a mandate to prevent a British invasion. Arriving in Jakarta, Daendels was appalled by the decaying condition of the VOC’s walled city and castle in the north, and promptly ordered the walls

to be demolished so they could be used as building materials for the new city he would create at the southern end of the Molenvliet around Lapangan Banteng and Medan Merdeka.

The invading British forces duly landed in Jakarta in August 1811 and comfortably defeated the combined French-Dutch troops in battles near Jatinegara in the same month, ushering in the brief British rule of Java from 1811-1816 under LieutenantGovernor Thomas Stamford Raffles, who would later go on to found Singapore in 1819. After the Treaty of Vienna, Java was returned to the Dutch in 1816, who then proceeded to turn the southern suburbs of Weltevreden into the new European heart of Jakarta, with elite residential districts, government offices, social clubs, a learned society, churches, hotels and even a theatre, exactly as Daendels would have wanted.

The old city in the north survived as Jakarta’s business and commercial centre while the new city in the south at Weltevreden would be where Europeans would have their spacious homes and tropical gardens and allow themselves to be entertained. The only inconvenience for European businessmen and company employees was the daily commute along the Molenvliet between their offices in the north and their homes in the south. But during the second half of the 19th century, a tramway service was established along this route that would survive until 1960.

For most of the 19th century, the notions of old Batavia as downtown and Weltevreden as uptown were informal concepts but were well understood by Jakarta’s residents. However, in 1905, with the creation of the Gemeente Batavia or Jakarta City Council, the distinction between the two areas was formalized. The city was divided into two administrative districts with the northern one called Batavia and the southern one called Weltevreden.

A third administrative district, Meester Cornelis (now Jatinegara), was also created at the same time but would not come under the control of the Jakarta City Council until 1935.

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greetings from jakarta

14

Jakarta in the late 1930s

introduction

the population explosion

The map from 1903 on page 10 shows us a city which had a population of only 116,000 people in 1900. Two years later, at the time of the creation of the Jakarta City Council in 1905, Jakarta covered an area of 125 square kilometres.

By 1912, the population had risen an impressive 40% to an official figure of 162,126 which was still only a tiny 1.7% of the total population tallied by the census almost a century later in 2010 of 9,588,198. In the racially stratified colonial city, records were also kept of the ethnic background of each inhabitant. The 162,126 inhabitants of Jakarta in 1912 were 70.7% Indonesian, 18.5% Chinese, 1.1% Arab, 0.1% Indian and 0.1% Japanese while the European rulers made up only 9.5% of the population. It was also noted in the same year that the inhabitants of the city were 53.7% male and only 46.3% female. The most significant gender imbalance was among the Chinese where there were 19,583 males but only 10,380 females.

By 1926, the population of Jakarta had more than doubled from 1912 to reach 354,737 and then climbed again to an estimated 435,000 in 1930. With the Jakarta City Council’s annexation of the Meester Cornelis (Jatinegara) administrative district in 1935, the size of Jakarta became 182 square kilometres and the population increased to just over half a million.

But the most dramatic surge in Jakarta’s population took place between 1945 and 1949 when the number of inhabitants more than doubled from 623,343 to 1,340,625. This was during the socalled “transition” period between the declaration of Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945 and the international recognition of Indonesian sovereignty on 27 December 1949, when the guerilla war between the pro-independence Indonesian forces and the Dutch troops, who were trying to reclaim their colony after the end of the Second World War, caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee to the relative safety of Jakarta. However, the surge

in population and the shortages in food and textiles during those years saw a massive rise in poverty as the city could barely cope with the influx of new arrivals. This is most sadly and poignantly made clear in this book by the tragic scene of the poverty-stricken and homeless little boy in postcard number 360.

Indeed, a recurring theme in Jakarta’s history during the 20th century was the continual struggle of the city to keep up with population growth and provide basic services for a rapidly growing number of inhabitants and an ever increasing population density. In 1900, there were only 928 people per square kilometer in Jakarta but by 1949, this had jumped to 7,366 people. By 2010, the density had increased more than fifteen-fold from 1900 levels reaching 14,505 people per square kilometer, if the official census population figure from 2010 of 9,588,198 can be believed, or 18,154 people per square kilometer if the more likely population figure of 12 million is used. It is no wonder that the postcards in this book, especially in Chapters One and Two which cover the period 1900 – 1920, show a more rustic, tranquil and countrified Jakarta than we could ever imagine today.

Looking at the map on page 14 from the late 1930s, the basic shape of Jakarta did not change significantly during the first half of the 20th century. But it did “fatten” out as the population increased.

Areas east of Jalan Hayam Wuruk such as Mangga Besar (large mango), Sawah Besar (large rice field) and Kebon Jeruk (citrus garden), and from where the source of those names can easily be guessed, became more developed for residential purposes, as did Petojo and Ketapang to the west of Jalan Gajah Mada. In the south, Jalan Wahid Hasyim opened up for housing between Prapatan and Tanah Abang. But perhaps the most striking difference between Jakarta in 1900 and half a century later was the creation of Menteng in the south from 1910 as the city’s first attempt at comprehensive urban planning that incorporated infrastructure needs such as water, electricity, asphalted roads, parks and flood control within

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greetings from jakarta

Jakarta’s Four Leading Postcard Publishers

Visser & Co. – Jalan Veteran Produced postcards 1892-late 1920s (see postcard 93)

G. Kolff & Co. – Jalan Juanda Produced postcards circa 1898-late 1940s (see postcard 92)

F. B. Smits – Jalan Juanda Produced postcards circa 1899-1910s (see postcard 95)

Tio Tek Hong – Pasar Baru Produced postcards circa 1904-1920s (see postcard 119)

16

introduction

a single master plan all designed according to the latest ideas in early 20th century European urban planning. Menteng was built exclusively for Jakarta’s rapidly rising population of European civil servants and company employees and was one of the most significant projects undertaken by the Jakarta City Council after its formation in 1905.

But even by 1950, the end of the period covered in this book, many of what are now Jakarta’s best known major thoroughfares and modern suburbs did not yet exist. There was still no Jalan Thamrin, Jalan Jendral Sudirman, Jalan Gatot Subroto nor Jalan Rasuna Said which were only built from the late 1950s through to the 1970s. Popular suburbs today such as Sunter, Cempaka Putih, Rawamangun and Tebet in the east and Grogol, Tomang and Palmerah in the west were still either villages, rice fields or fruit orchards in the middle of the 20th century, as were what are now the central suburbs of Kebon Kacang, Kebon Melati, Bendungan Hilir and Pejompongan, all of which would only be developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Some of Jakarta’s more desirable suburbs today such as Pondok Indah, Kemang, Kelapa Gading and Puri Indah wouldn’t emerge until the late 1970s and 1980s.

Kebayoran Baru, which is now one of the most elite areas in the heart of Jakarta, started life in 1948 so far south from the city centre that it was initially regarded as being a “satellite” suburb and it wasn’t initially clear whether it was officially part of Jakarta or not. the rich legacy of picture postcards

The golden age of picture postcards was from the late 1890s until the First World War of 1914-1918. These are the postcards which appear in Chapters One and Two. There were four major postcard publishers in Jakarta during that period and they are all well represented in this book. Three of them were Europeans: G. Kolff & Co., Visser & Co. and F. B. Smits while the other was Chinese: Tio Tek Hong. Their premises can be seen in self-published postcards

on the opposite page. They all produced postcards for a mainly European customer base. The text was almost always in Dutch.

The main buyers were Europeans to send to other Europeans in Europe, the USA and Australia, as well as other parts of Indonesia.

Accordingly, postcard publishers needed to offer postcards showing images of a Jakarta that Europeans wanted to see or wanted others to see and which reflected the strong pride the Dutch had in their colonial capital. It is therefore not surprising that the main focus of the postcards in this book was the area around Weltevreden, which was the European heart of a European colonial city built for Europeans, and that these postcards present a predominantly European perspective of the city. We can see for example in Chapters Two and Three, the elegant new commercial and government buildings, banks, modern homes, schools, hospitals, artesian water wells, gas reservoirs, telephone exchanges, an electric tram service, railway stations, cinemas, sporting venues and even an ice works: all signs of a progressive modern city stepping confidently into the future.

But the European perspective does not detract from the fact that there are many varied aspects of daily life in Jakarta and of the development and evolution of the city which are richly revealed to us through the postcards in this book. Given that very few extensive photographic surveys of Jakarta were ever undertaken between 1900 and 1950, we should indeed feel fortunate that postcards provide us with the most comprehensive visual record in existence today of Jakarta during the first half of the 20th century. Without the diligent work of postcard publishers all those decades ago, our knowledge of Jakarta and its physical landscape, in the years when it was on the verge of transitioning from a colonial capital to the capital of an independent Indonesian republic, would be so much poorer. These postcards are an important legacy for Jakarta and for its residents and visitors alike. It is a great pleasure to bring them to a wider audience to enjoy here through this book.

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greetings from jakarta

1 5 2

6 3

7

4

8

11 9 10

18

18

19 16

24

17

26 25 23 13

20 21 229 228

12 22

14 15

28 29 30

27

CHAPTER ONE

1900 to 1920 – The Old Jakarta in the North

A

t the dawn of the 20th century, “old Batavia” or the “downtown” or the “lower town” in the north around Kota and Glodok was the business, banking, insurance and trading heart of Jakarta. The European business district centred around Kali Besar, Pintu Besar and Taman Fatahillah, while bustling Glodok nearby was Jakarta’s largest Chinatown and main Chinese commercial hub.

Entering the new century, there was good reason for Jakarta’s business community to feel optimistic about the future. The sugar crisis which had caused a twenty year economic malaise from 1884 until 1903 was coming to an end. The sugar industry, for so long the backbone of the colonial economy, was finally recovering. Coffee, tea, pepper, copra, tin, rubber and timber were also important export commodities. Indonesian exports doubled between 1902 and 1911 and then quadrupled between 1911 and 1919.

But it wasn’t only exports. There were rising volumes of imported consumer goods as well for the rapidly growing European population in Jakarta. Cottons and other fabrics, wines & spirits, books, pianos, sporting equipment, curios from Japan, cigars & cigarettes from Cuba and Manila and the latest fashions from Europe were all in great demand.

The completion of the new port at Tanjung Priok in 1886 (postcards 56-61) — replacing the tiny and inadequate old port at Sunda Kelapa which had been in use since the 17th century (postcards 1-7) — was a major milestone in Jakarta’s history and brought the city into the steamship era. Combined with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, travelling times between Europe and Indonesia were reduced from several months to only a matter of weeks. The surge in shipping traffic that followed provided many opportunities for Jakarta’s business houses to expand their services as shipping, insurance and forwarding agents, as well as in ship-chandlery and stevedoring – all towards supporting the rapid growth of the import-export trade.

The buoyant economy in the early years of the 20th century brought with it investment in new factories and business premises in Jakarta, reflecting a renewed confidence in the future. The Dutch-style Hongkong Bank building (postcard 20) was completed in 1910, followed by the imposing new headquarters of the largest colonial bank, the Java Bank, Not on maps: 55, 64-65

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47 32

52

39 38

48

31 33

54

37 42

41

34 40

36 35 51

44

20

43 49

45

53

50

46

chapter one: 1900 to 1920 – the old jakarta in the north

57 58 60 59 62 61 56

63

(postcard 15) in 1912 (which now houses the Bank Indonesia Museum). The OLVEH life insurance company moved into their new premises in 1912 (postcard 23), as did the leading trading firms of Lindeteves-Stokvis in 1910 (postcard 43) and E. Dunlop & Co. in 1913 (postcard 24). These new symbols of prosperity stood side-by-side with the old 18th and 19th century offices, shops and homes which still existed in abundance in Jakarta in the early years of the 20th century (postcards 14, 16-17, 21-22 and 25-26). Some of them still survive today (although usually in poor condition).

Glodok was, and still is, the vibrant hub of Jakarta’s Chinese business community, especially around Glodok Plain (postcards 35-36), Pintu Kecil (postcards 31-34 and 39), Toko Tiga (postcard 40) and Perniagaan Raya (postcard 41). The Chinese were admired or envied for their industriousness and business acumen and were active in rice-milling, sugar exporting, arak brewing, ship-chandlery, pawn-shops and as shopkeepers, tailors, tradesmen and merchants of almost every item imaginable.

By 1900, the VOC era of 1619-1799 was already a distant memory but there were still reminders of Jakarta’s earliest years to be found in the city. The old Town Hall on Taman Fatahillah (postcard 12), completed in 1710, was still an important public building in the early 1900s, just as it is today, functioning now as the popular Jakarta History Museum. The distinctive old Amsterdam Gate (postcards 9-11) was a prominent landmark throughout the first half of the 20th century until it was demolished in 1950.

The Gereja Sion church from 1695 (postcard 52) and the gruesome skull-topped Pieter Erberveld monument from 1722 (postcard 48) were there to give Jakarta’s citizens a link to an earlier era. Some of the old VOC warehouses (postcards 6 and 8) also survived into the 20th century as did the drawbridge across Kali Besar (postcard 18).

But while the old city of Jakarta was a bustling hive of activity during the day, it was often noted how quiet and eerily empty it seemed to be in the evenings. European businessmen worked in their offices in Kota during the day but when the work was done, they rode in their horse-drawn carriages or took the popular steam trams back to the European residential suburbs of Jakarta’s newer southern environs in Weltevreden, where they lived and sought their entertainment. Most Chinese both lived and worked in or near Glodok in their aptly named shophouses but for the Europeans, there was a clear distinction between their homes and their places of work. But wherever one slept, the times were good and dreams could be sweet and full of hopes for continued prosperity.

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THE OLD PORT OF SUNDA KELAPA Looking over the old port of Sunda Kelapa from the Culemborg Tower (postcard 3). The VOC founded their trading port of Batavia (Jakarta) here at the mouth of the Ciliwung River in 1619 and the long canal in the centre was gradually extended over the next 200 years to try and overcome silting problems. Sunda Kelapa was Jakarta’s main entry point by sea until the new Tanjung Priok port was completed in 1886 and thus its glory days were already over by the time this postcard was posted in 1900.

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1 | The Old Port of Sunda Kelapa (1) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Postmarked: 16 July 1900

Another view of Sunda Kelapa port from the Culemborg Tower (postcard 3). The large building in the centre is the old Pasar Ikan (fish market) which no longer exists (postcard 5). Sunda Kelapa had posed problems for ships that called there from the beginning of the colonial era. The main canal seen here on the right was too narrow and too shallow and ships had to anchor outside at sea and then ferry passengers and cargo to shore in smaller vessels.

This was time consuming, expensive and often treacherous in bad weather.

2 | The Old Port of Sunda Kelapa (2) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1905

Looking south towards the Culemborg Tower from where the photographs in postcards 1 and 2 were taken. The tower was built in 1839 as a lookout and for sending signals to ships. A blue flag, for example, indicated danger (such as disease) and meant that ships were not allowed to disembark their passengers. The tower appears to be leaning to the right which suggests that the pronounced lean it has today had already begun more than a century ago.

The old drawbridge on the left no longer exists.

3 | The Culemborg Tower at Sunda Kelapa | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 23

Two Indonesian and three European or Eurasian men at the top of the Culemborg Tower (postcard 3) looking north over the old port of Sunda Kelapa with one man peering intently through a telescope. They would have been looking out over a view very similar to what we can see in postcards 1 and 2. This observation room has barely changed since this photograph was taken and visitors today can still climb the old wooden steps to reach it. The step ladder on the far left leading to the roof also remains unchanged.

4 | Interior of the Culemborg Tower | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

THE OLD PORT OF SUNDA KELAPA ( CONTINUED ) The front of the Pasar Ikan (fish market) building can be seen here with its entrance in the centre. This is the same prominent structure we can see at the side and in the centre of postcards 1 and 2. Built in 1846, it served as Jakarta’s main fish market until at least the 1930s. Here many small sailing boats bring their fish to the front steps of the market which was especially busy early in the mornings. The Pasar Ikan building no longer exists but many people today still refer to the Sunda Kelapa area as Pasar Ikan.

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5 | The Pasar Ikan (Fish Market) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1912

A view from the southern end of the eastern bank of the main canal at the Sunda Kelapa port. The many small boats in the foreground are possibly supplying fish to the nearby Pasar Ikan (postcard 5). The large buildings on the right were the old “Westside Warehouses” of the VOC, the oldest of which dates back to the 1650s, that were used for storage of valuable commodities such as cloves, nutmeg, mace, pepper, coffee and tea. These warehouses still exist and have been used as the Museum Bahari (Maritime Museum) since 1977.

6 | The Westside Warehouses | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1905

Until the latter years of the 19th century there were still three old Dutch-style drawbridges remaining in Jakarta, including this one which crossed over the canal between Jalan Krapu and Jalan Tongkol. Passengers arriving at the Sunda Kelapa port would cross over this drawbridge and head south into the suburbs of Jakarta. This old drawbridge and the one in postcards 1 and 3 were demolished long ago.

The only surviving colonial era drawbridge in Jakarta can be seen in postcard 18.

7 | The Drawbridge at Sunda Kelapa | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

The bridge we can see here in the foreground is part of what is today Jalan Tongkol and the canal below it was formerly the southern leg of the moat that surrounded the VOC’s second castle in Jakarta that existed from 1627 until around 1808. Sometime after 1920 the moat was filled in and the bridge demolished. The old VOC warehouses on the left and right no longer exist. But the warehouses in the centre in the distance on Jalan Kakap still stand and were partially restored in the 1990s and early 2000s to be reborn as restaurants.

8 | Old VOC Warehouses | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

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THE AMSTERDAM GATE The VOC built two castles in Jakarta, both located around where Jalan Tongkol is today.

The first castle lasted only from 1619 until 1627 before being replaced by a larger fortification which stood from 1627 until around 1808. The impressive Amsterdam Gate, with its fierce statues of Mars and Minerva, survived into the 20th century as the last remnant of the castle.

However, strictly speaking, the gate was the southern entrance to the plain in front of the castle, rather than an entrance to the castle itself.

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9 | The Amsterdam Gate (1) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1910

Looking north along Jalan Cengkeh towards the Amsterdam Gate in the distance. The gate was located on the Amsterdam Canal, which was part of the extensive canal system that existed in old VOC-era Jakarta (1619-1799). In modern terms, the location of the gate was at the northern end of Jalan Cengkeh, just south of where the railway bridge crosses over the point where Jalan Cengkeh becomes Jalan Tongkol.

The tram lines on the right and the buildings on both sides of the street no longer exist.

10 | The Amsterdam Gate (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1899

Looking south along Jalan Cengkeh from the northern side of the Amsterdam Gate. The old Town Hall (postcard 12), which is now the Jakarta History Museum on Taman Fatahillah, can be seen through the centre of the gate some 450 metres away. For someone standing on the steps of the Town Hall during the colonial era and looking north, it would have been possible to see the front of the Amsterdam Gate with its statues of Mars and Minerva (that are visible in postcard 9). The gate was regarded as a colonial relic and demolished in 1950.

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11 | The Amsterdam Gate (3) | Publisher: Visser & Co. Circa: 1920

AROUND TAMAN FATAHILLAH The old Town Hall has been one of Jakarta’s most important buildings for just over three centuries. Built between 1707 and 1710 on the southern side of Taman Fatahillah, this fine old colonial building has served many purposes including the civil and legal administration of Jakarta and the office of the governor of West Java. Since 1974, it has housed the popular Jakarta History Museum at the initiative of then Governor Ali Sadikin. Note the steam tram heading through Taman Fatahillah towards Jalan Cengkeh. See also postcard 248.

12 | The Old Town Hall | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Postmarked: 17 June 1914 28

Looking north from the front steps of the old Town Hall (now the Jakarta History Museum) towards the northern side of Taman Fatahillah.

The dark building in the centre was used as commercial premises when this photograph was taken, but was beautifully renovated in 1992 and 1993 to become the popular CafĂŠ Batavia and a frequent watering hole for this author.

The taller building on the right was completed in the early 1920s and housed several insurance companies over the years but is now abandoned and part of its roof collapsed in 2011.

13 | Taman Fatahillah | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

JALAN PINTU BESAR UTARA Looking south along Jalan Pintu Besar Utara (North Large Gate Street), a name given to this street because it was located on the northern side of the larger of the two gates that provided access the old walled city of Jakarta during the VOC era (1619-1799). This photograph was taken from beside the western wall of the old Town Hall (postcard 12), which is now the Jakarta History Museum, with 18th-century commercial buildings on the right. A steam tram is heading north towards the photographer.

14 | Jalan Pintu Besar Utara | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

Here we can see the imposing premises of the Java Bank on the corner of Jalan Bank and Jalan Pintu Besar Utara that were completed in 1912 and which replaced the earlier Java Bank building which had stood on the same site. The Java Bank was established in 1828 and operated both as a commercial bank as well as the currency-issuing central bank. During the colonial era, the Java Bank played a major role in financing commodity exports, particularly sugar, and was a pillar of stability during times of financial crisis. See also postcard 245.

15 | The Java Bank Building | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1915

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KALI BESAR Looking west along Jalan Kopi across the second of the three bridges which span the Kali Besar canal, towards the 19th-century buildings which still exist today on the corner of Jalan Kopi and Jalan Kali Besar Barat. Mainly a European district, Kali Besar was Jakarta’s major financial and business centre for over three hundred years, from the early decades of the VOC era (1619-1799) until the 1970s and 1980s, when many companies, banks and other financial institutions moved south to Jalan Thamrin and Jalan Jendral Sudirman.

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16 | Jalan Kopi (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

A postcard from the same series as the one above but looking in the opposite direction along the same street from the other side of the bridge.

Here we are looking east along Jalan Kopi towards the buildings on the corner of Jalan Kali Besar Timur and Jalan Kali Besar Timur III. The small sailing boats on the left could pass through the drawbridge, which still exists (but is no longer in use), at the northern end of the Kali Besar canal (postcard 18) but could go no further south than this bridge at Jalan Kopi.

17 | Jalan Kopi (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

This bridge was the northernmost of the three bridges which crossed Kali Besar and the only one which was a drawbridge. Small boats such as the ones seen in the postcard below could pass under the bridge to load and unload their cargo on both sides of the Kali Besar canal. This bridge still exists as the only drawbridge in Jakarta to survive from the colonial era but today can no longer be raised and some of its wooden beams have been replaced with steel. Other old drawbridges from the past such as those in postcards 1, 3 and 7 have been demolished.

18 | The Drawbridge at Kali Besar | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910 31

Looking north along the Kali Besar canal.

The photographer would have been standing on the same bridge we can see in postcards 16 and 17. In the distance is the famous old Dutch style drawbridge (postcard 18) which still exists today at the northern end of the Kali Besar canal but which is no longer in use. Boats are moored along the canal for the loading and unloading of cargo, including the busy scene in the foreground where at least five men are at work with a boatload of barrels of gasoline.

19 | The Kali Besar Canal | Publisher: J. C. Blomme | Circa: 1910

KALI BESAR ( CONTINUED )

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation was one of the leading non-Dutch banks in Indonesia during the colonial period and opened for business in Jakarta in 1884.

Hongkong Bank was actively involved in financing the sugar and coffee industries which were the backbone of the colonial economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1910, the bank relocated to these fine new Dutch-style premises near the southern end of Jalan Kali Besar Barat. This building still exists today and is used by the tax authorities.

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20 | The Hongkong Bank Building on Jalan Kali Besar Barat Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912

Looking north along a tranquil Jalan Kali Besar Barat from the corner of Jalan Malaka.

The building on the far left was replaced by the premises of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China in the early 1920s (postcards 252 and 254). Beside it is one of only two 18th century VOC era homes still standing on Kali Besar today. The other is the famous Toko Merah, built around 1730, which is located just to the right of centre here but is not visible because of the balcony that existed at the time in front of its original faรงade.

21 | Jalan Kali Besar Barat | Publisher: K. Shimane Postmarked: 5 September 1916

Looking north along Jalan Kali Besar Timur from the corner of Jalan Bank. The electric tram line visible on the left was opened on 15 February 1907 and extended the electric tram service from Jalan Jembatan Batu to Jalan Kali Besar Timur through to the terminus near the old Amsterdam Gate (postcards 9-11). The 19thcentury commercial buildings on the far right still exist today and remain in use. The very early car in the centre must have been quite a rarity in Jakarta at the time.

22 | Jalan Kali Besar Timur | Publisher: K. Shimane | Circa: 1915

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COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS NORTH OF TAMAN FATAHILLAH The OLVEH (De Onderlinge Levensverzekering van Eigen Hulp) mutual life insurance company was founded in The Hague in 1879 and commenced operations in Jakarta in 1903.

They relocated to these attractive premises on the corner of Jalan Pintu Besar Utara and Jalan Kali Besar Timur III on 1 January 1912. This building was later used by the Djakarta Lloyd shipping company but has been abandoned for many years and is now in very poor condition.

The building on the far right now houses the famous CafĂŠ Batavia (postcards 250-251).

23 | The OLVEH Mutual Life Insurance Company | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912 34

E. Dunlop & Co. was founded in 1878 by Eduard Willem Dunlop, who arrived in Batavia in 1873 at the age of 20. The firm was a leading importer of groceries, cigarettes, cigars and alcoholic beverages. Their head office and warehouse on Jalan Cengkeh, seen here with their staff standing in front, was completed in 1913. E. Dunlop & Co. also had a retail store on Jalan Majapahit from 1878 (postcard 294) and for a few years from around 1884 occupied the ground floor of what is now the popular CafĂŠ Batavia (postcards 250-251).

24 | The Head Office and Staff of E. Dunlop & Co. | Publisher: E. Dunlop & Co. | Circa: 1915

Looking west along Jalan Kali Besar Timur III (then called Pasar Pisang) in the direction of the Kali Besar canal. This wide street was lined with trading and commercial firms including on the far left the OLVEH mutual life insurance company building on the corner of Jalan Pintu Besar Utara, which can be seen more clearly in postcard 23. Jalan Kali Besar Timur III continues in the distance to become Jalan Kopi and crosses over the Kali Besar bridge that we can see in postcards 16 and 17.

25 | Jalan Kali Besar Timur III (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1920

Looking in a north-easterly direction along Jalan Kali Besar Timur III towards the corner of Jalan Teh on the right. The Toko Makassar bookstore building on the left no longer exists but the six smaller buildings to its right from the International Watch CV through to the corner of Jalan Teh are still there although not in good condition. The three smallest ones closest to the corner of Jalan Teh are typical of the VOC era (1619-1799) and are among the oldest surviving buildings in Jakarta today.

26 | Jalan Kali Besar Timur III (2) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1909

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AROUND THE RAILWAY STATION The Batavia Zuid (South Batavia) railway station, seen here, existed until 1923 on the same site as Jakarta’s Kota station today. It was operated by the Batavia East Railroad Company, better known by its Dutch acronym BOS but usually pronounced BEOS. For many years there was also the Batavia Noord (North Batavia) station located nearby behind the old Town Hall (postcard 12). In October 1929, the Jakarta Kota station was opened to combine the services of both stations, at which point the North Batavia station was closed.

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27 | The South Batavia Railway Station | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1915

A very busy scene looking north along Jalan Pintu Besar Utara where a steam tram is heading south towards Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan. Jalan Jembatan Batu is on the right and Jalan Asemka, largely obscured, on the left. The large building at the top housed the German engineering firm of Carl Schlieper and was demolished in the 1920s. The Bank Mandiri Museum now occupies that site. Facing Carl Schlieper (but not visible here) was the South Batavia railway station (postcard 27).

28 | Jalan Pintu Besar Utara | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 22 February 1917

The same bustling intersection which we can see in postcard 28 but this time looking south along the northern end of Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan. A steam tram is heading north in the direction of Jalan Pintu Besar Utara. Jalan Jembatan Batu is on the left and Jalan Asemka on the right. The boom gates on both sides of the street were important because in addition to the steam trams, there were also the trains from the South Batavia railway station (postcard 27) and the electric trams from Kali Besar that crossed this very busy intersection.

29 | Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 18 August 1916

Here we are looking south along Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan from the corner of Jalan Asemka.

An interesting variety of architectural styles can be seen along the left-hand side with old VOC era (1619-1799) buildings just to the left of centre of this scene, then a more modern early 20th-century office building a little further along towards us and Chinese-style shophouses on the far left. None of these buildings still exist although the old Chinese shophouse on the far right managed to survive until the 1950s.

30 | Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan (2) | Publisher: K. Shimane | Postmarked: 18 August 1916

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CHINATOWN AT GLODOK Looking south along the southern half of Jalan Pintu Kecil from near the corner of Jalan Petongkangan and Jalan Asemka with many distinctive Chinese-style shophouses on the right. The continuation of the Kali Besar canal is behind the trees on the left. After October 1740 the Chinese were no longer allowed to live within the VOC’s walled city, and they eventually settled just southwest of the walls in a district that became known as “Glodok”, which grew to become Jakarta’s main Chinatown.

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31 | Jalan Pintu Kecil (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

Looking south along the northern half of Jalan Pintu Kecil, which is a continuation of Jalan Kali Besar Barat and runs through to the corner of Jalan Petak Baru and Jalan Asemka. It then continues along the southern half of Jalan Pintu Kecil, which we can see in the postcard above, and into the heart of Glodok. The photographer would have been standing not far in front of where the Pintu Kecil (“small gate” to the walled city) existed during the VOC era (1619-1799) and which gave this street its name.

32 | Jalan Pintu Kecil (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 19 February 1914

Looking north along the southern half of Jalan Pintu Kecil in a photograph probably taken in the 1890s. It depicts a rustic scene with the distinctive architecture of the Chinese-style shophouses on the left and the large shady trees on the right. Behind the trees is the river which is the continuation of the Kali Besar canal.

There is surprisingly little activity on what is normally a very busy street and perhaps this photograph was taken in the late afternoon after the work of the day had been done.

33 | Jalan Pintu Kecil (3) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

Here we are looking in a north-westerly direction around the southern half of Jalan Pintu Kecil from near the corner of Jalan Toko Tiga. It is a similar view to the postcard above but taken a decade or so later. Already the large trees on the right are gone, thereby creating a much starker impression but also revealing the river. None of these Chinese-style shophouses remain. The reverse side of the postcard notes that the S.S. Cleveland arrived in Batavia at 6.00am on 26 March 1913 “after a most delightful voyage� of five days from Manila.

34 | Jalan Pintu Kecil (4) | Publisher: Hamburg-American Line | Postmarked: 27 March 1913

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CHINATOWN AT GLODOK ( CONTINUED ) Looking south towards a row of Chinese shops on what is now Jalan Pasar Glodok Selatan with Glodok Plain in the foreground. On the far left, tram lines run along Jalan Gajah Mada.

Glodok Plain no longer exists and is now occupied by the multi-storey Pasar Glodok (Glodok Market) shopping centre. Legend has it that the name “Glodok” was derived from the “glo-dok, glo-dok, glo-dok” sound of the many water-driven mills that existed along Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk during the VOC era (1619-1799).

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35 | Glodok | Publisher: K. Shimane | Circa: 1915

This view is looking south over the old Glodok Bridge in the foreground with Glodok Plain on the right. When this photograph was taken, the canal seen here between Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk still flowed all the way to the Glodok Bridge before turning east along Jalan Pinangsia and west along Jalan Pancoran.

But early in the 20th century the canals along Jalan Pinangsia and Jalan Pancoran and also the canals between Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk, north of Jalan Labu, were filled in and reclaimed.

36 | The Glodok Bridge | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Postmarked: 3 October 1919

The Angke district is located on the western outskirts of Glodok and legend has it that the name “Angke” means “red river” from when the Kali Angke (Angke River) flowed red with blood after the massacre of the Chinese community in October 1740. Here we are looking west along Jalan Tubagus Angke with the distinctive Chinese-style shophouses on the left. The street is leading down to the Angke River which is to the right of the large tree in the centre. Some of the old shophouses on Jalan Tubagus Angke still exist.

37 | Angke | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1912 41

Looking east with Jalan Petongkangan and a row of Chinese-style shophouses on the right and Jalan Petak Baru on the left. This photograph was taken from near the corner of Jalan Perniagaan Barat. The railway line running down the middle of the street was completed around 1899 and connected the South Batavia railway station (postcard 27) with Tanah Abang. The railway line is long gone and instead the Pasar Pagi flyover was built above this street between 1989 and 1992 with many small shops located directly below it.

38 | Jalan Petongkangan | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

CHINATOWN AT GLODOK ( CONTINUED ) Here we are looking north along the northern half of Jalan Pintu Kecil with rows of Chinesestyle shophouses on both sides of the street. Jalan Petak Baru is on the left and Jalan Asemka would have been on the photographer’s right behind the Pintoe Ketjil street sign but is not visible here. Today this part of Jalan Pintu Kecil is a textile wholesaling district known as the “Pusat Tekstil Pintu Kecil” (Pintu Kecil Textile Centre). This northern section of Jalan Pintu Kecil can also be seen in postcard 32 but looking in the opposite direction towards the south.

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39 | Corner of Jalan Pintu Kecil and Jalan Petak Baru | Publisher: K. Shimane | Circa: 1915

Located in the heart of Glodok, Toko Tiga has always been one of the busiest parts of Jakarta’s Chinatown. In this photograph we are looking west from the bridge that runs between Jalan Pancoran and Jalan Pintu Kecil. Several of the old Chinese-style shophouses on the right still exist today. Strictly speaking, only the right hand side of this street (the northern side) is Jalan Toko Tiga. The correct name for the left hand side (the southern side) is Jalan Toko Tiga Seberang which literally means “the street opposite Jalan Toko Tiga”.

40 | Toko Tiga | Publisher: K. Shimane | Circa: 1915

What is now Jalan Perniagaan Raya was formerly known as Patekoan. It is the road that connects Jalan Toko Tiga (postcard 40) in the east with Jalan Tubagus Angke (postcard 37) and the Arab quarter of Pekojan in the west.

Here on the left is the small Petodjo IJs (Petodjo Ice) kiosk, one of many ice vendors located around Jakarta in the days before people had refrigerators at home. In the centre, a man in a long dark coat and hat and carrying an umbrella stares back at the photographer, as does a young barefooted Chinese boy on the right.

41 | Jalan Perniagaan Raya | Publisher: K. Shimane | Circa: 1915

Looking north along Jalan Perniagaan Barat, which used to be called “Djelakeng�, with the Kali Djelakeng (Djelakeng River) and bridge on the left. The road around to the bottom of the left hand corner is Petuakan, a small stretch of road between Jalan Tubagus Angke and Jalan Perniagaan Barat. However the name Petuakan has disappeared from modern maps.

The smartly dressed boy in the foreground with the boater hat and bag seems to pause for the camera before perhaps heading to one of the nearby Chinese-language schools.

42 | Jalan Perniagaan Barat | Publisher: K. Shimane | Circa: 1915

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JALAN HAYAM WURUK AND JALAN GAJAH MADA Looking south along Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Gajah Mada. On the left are the premises of the leading engineering and trading firm of Lindeteves-Stokvis, on Jalan Hayam Wuruk, whose site occupied 2.5 hectares and which had a canal at the rear that connected their warehouses to the Tanjung Priok port.

Lindeteves-Stokvis were agents for a wide range of machinery, hardware, building materials and ship chandlery. The Lindeteves Trade Centre now occupies this site. On the right a tram is heading along Jalan Gajah Mada.

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43 | Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Gajah Mada | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

The IJK Kantoor or the office of weights and measures, seen here on the left, was located near Glodok on the northern end of Jalan Hayam Wuruk just south of the junction of Jalan Pancoran and Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan.

This office had the responsibility of ensuring that the weights and measures used in Jakarta’s markets and shops were fair and accurate.

From 1 January 1926, ahead of the introduction of the metric system into Indonesia, only metric weights, measures and scales were allowed to be stamped and verified by this office.

44 | The Office of Weights and Measures | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

Unlike Jakarta’s Gedung Kesenian theatre (postcards 127-128), which played to largely European audiences in European languages, the elegant Thalia Theatre, on the corner of Jalan Mangga Besar and Jalan Hayam Wuruk (and probably built in the 1910s), was the home of mainly Malay language theatre (the concept of an “Indonesian” language barely existed when the Thalia was operating) for a wide range of local theatrical offerings including Komedi Stamboel (postcard 405) in Malay and Peranakan Chinese plays.

45 | The Thalia Theatre | Publisher: Lie Tek Long | Circa: 1920

In order to give the colonial government a more coordinated approach for the development of civil works and infrastructure such as irrigation, ports, railways and the construction of public buildings, the Bureau of Public Works was established in 1854. In 1866, the bureau became the Department of Public Works (better known by its Dutch acronym B.O.W.). By early in the 20th century their office was located at Jalan Gajah Mada No. 8. This building is used today

by Indonesia’s Nuclear Power Supervisory Agency, BAPETEN. 46 | The Department of Public Works | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912

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EASTERN OUTSKIRTS OF OLD JAKARTA This is the junction of Jalan Mangga Dua, which runs straight ahead of us past the Chinese shophouses in the centre, and Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta (previously Jacatraweg) which heads off south to the right. Behind the building on the far right and just out of view is the Gereja Sion church (postcard 52). All of what we can see here was demolished long ago and Jalan Mangga Dua has been widened significantly to enable the development of the popular Mangga Dua discount shopping district.

47 | Jalan Mangga Dua and Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1905 46

The gruesome skull-topped monument to the alleged “traitor� Pieter Erberveld was located for over two centuries a short distance south of the Gereja Sion church (postcard 52) on Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta. Erberveld was accused of plotting to overthrow VOC rule in Jakarta and sentenced to death even though doubts existed that he was indeed truly guilty. He was executed on 22 April 1722 and this monument, inscribed in Dutch and Javanese, was erected as a warning to others who might want to challenge VOC authority. See also postcard 259.

48 | The Pieter Erberveld Monument | Publisher: J. C. Blomme | Circa: 1910

Prinsenlaan was the colonial name for Jalan Mangga Besar and here we are looking east towards the eastern end of the street near where it connects with Jalan Gunung Sahari. The man standing beside his bicycle not far from the small guard post was no doubt relaxing in what were then still the countrified outskirts of Jakarta. Jalan Mangga Besar is now a heavily built-up and densely populated area, and could not have changed more strikingly since this photograph was taken in the very early 1900s.

49 | Jalan Mangga Besar | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 16 December 1904 47

Here we are looking south along the eastern side of Jalan Gunung Sahari with the canal on the right. Dating back to around the 1680s, Jalan Gunung Sahari is one of Jakarta’s oldest major roads. In the early 1900s it was still predominantly a tranquil and elite residential area for Europeans, particularly south of Jalan Kartini. In July 1900 the electric tram line was completed along Jalan Gunung Sahari and we can see a tram in the distance, which was no doubt a noisy new disturbance for local residents used to peace and quiet.

50 | Jalan Gunung Sahari | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Postmarked: 1908

PLACES OF WORSHIP The Jin De Yuan temple is located in Glodok on the corner of Jalan Kemenangan and Jalan Kemenangan III and is one of the two oldest surviving Chinese temples in Jakarta. Its origins can be traced back to around 1650 when it was first built as the Guan Yin temple in honour of the Buddhist female deity of mercy. Its name was changed in 1755 by the “Captain” of the Chinese community to Jin De Yuan, which means “Temple of Golden Virtue”. This temple remains very popular today especially during Chinese New Year.

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51 | The Jin De Yuan Temple | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1912

The Gereja Sion church was built between 1693 and 1695 on the corner of Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta and Jalan Mangga Dua and is Jakarta’s oldest church and the oldest Dutch building still standing in Jakarta today that can be reliably dated. It was originally called the “Portuguese Outer Church” because of its location just outside the VOC’s walled city and because it was mainly used as a place of worship by freed Portuguese-speaking slaves who had been brought to Jakarta by the VOC. 52 | The Gereja Sion Church | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

The old Krukut Mosque that we can see here was located on the corner of Jalan Kebahagiaan and Jalan Kejayaan I and dated from 1785 or shortly after. On this site now is the Masjid Jami’ Al Mubarak mosque which was substantially rebuilt in the early 1990s and re-opened in 1994. Nothing remains of the original mosque.

However, there are several other mosques in Jakarta dating from the 18th century that are still in regular use and which retain some of their early features. These can be found in Pekojan, Jembatan Lima, Angke and Tambora.

53 | The Old Krukut Mosque | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

The Langgar Tinggi Mosque was built in 1829 in Jakarta’s old Arab district of Pekojan and still exists today largely unchanged from its original form. It is located on Jalan Pekojan Raya backing on to the Kali Angke (Angke River).

Here the photographer was standing on Jalan Tubagus Angke looking over the Angke River towards the rear of the mosque. It is a doublestoreyed structure with the prayer room on the top floor and living quarters below, although today shops are also located on the lower level.

54 | The Langgar Tinggi Mosque | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

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TANJUNG PRIOK

One of the most famous and important companies in Indonesia during the last half century of colonial rule was the Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij (Royal Dutch Packet Company) better known as the KPM which from 1891 until its nationalization in 1957 dominated shipping in Indonesia with its large fleet of steamers. The KPM was responsible for inter-island transportation of passengers, mail and cargo throughout the archipelago as well as running services to Singapore, Penang and Australia. See also postcard 125.

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55 | The KPM Shipping Company Publisher: The KPM Shipping Company | Circa: 1910

With the completion of the new port at Tanjung Priok in 1886 (replacing the old port at Sunda Kelapa that appears in postcards 1-7), Jakarta finally had a modern port facility capable of handling the increasing volume of shipping traffic and number of passengers that visited Jakarta after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and the rise of the steamship era. This postcard was published by the KPM, which in 1911 operated a fleet of 80 steamers, carried 644,500 passengers, travelled 2.4 million miles and transported 1.4 million tonnes of cargo.

56 | The Docks at Tanjung Priok | Publisher: The KPM Shipping Company | Circa: 1915

Here four steamers, possibly from the KPM fleet, are moored at Tanjung Priok with others out at sea. The KPM’s vessels plied between more than 240 ports throughout Indonesia, including some of the remotest islands in the archipelago, in the era before regular flight services and modern communications. The KPM was thus vitally important for the Dutch to enable them to administer and rule over their vast colony and also create the unifying interisland connections that helped form the state that has become modern Indonesia.

57 | Steamers at Tanjung Priok | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

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TANJUNG PRIOK ( CONTINUED ) Two steamers at Tanjung Priok around 1900, both possibly from the KPM fleet. One account from 1925 noted that KPM ships “…embody every comfort and convenience for passengers, and are always enthusiastically referred to by those who know by experience how well they compare with other vessels in Far Eastern waters. Indeed, in some respects, the KPM steamers, especially the largest and latest, would be difficult to find surpassed in regard to the accommodation of the spacious cabins….”

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58 | Steamers at Tanjung Priok | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1900

The Karang was built in 1875 in Scotland and was a relatively small 337 gross tonnes.

She was initially operated by the Britishowned Netherlands India Steam Navigation Company, which held the contract for mail and passenger shipping services in Indonesia from 1876 until 1890. When the KPM took over the contract from 1 January 1891 it also acquired the Karang which remained part of the KPM fleet until it was sold in 1895. The Karang was sadly destroyed by fire in Singapore in June 1911.

59 | The Steamer Karang at Tanjung Priok | Publisher: J. Nijland | Circa: 1905

The De Klerk was built in 1900 in Amsterdam and measured 2,012 gross tonnes. She had a long life serving the KPM in Indonesia for over forty years. But on 5 March 1942, with the Japanese invasion of Jakarta imminent, the De Klerk was scuttled at Tanjung Priok by order of the Dutch military command. The Japanese then raised her on 28 November 1942 and she served the Japanese wartime navy under the name Imaji Maru until she sunk after hitting a mine near Labuan on 16 September 1944.

60 | The Steamer De Klerk at Tanjung Priok | Publisher: Visser & Co. Postmarked: 2 October 1904

The departure of the Reael from Tanjung Priok. Most of the people in this very busy dockside scene are Chinese and as we can see, it was still common at the time for Chinese men to wear a long single pigtail. The Reael was one of the thirteen steamships the KPM had built in Holland in 1890 after it was awarded the contract to conduct mail and passenger shipping services in Indonesia from 1891 until 1905. The Reael served the KPM until she was sold to a Singaporean buyer in 1930 or 1932.

61 | The Steamer Reael at Tanjung Priok | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1900

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AROUND TANJUNG PRIOK On 2 November 1885, the railway line to Jakarta’s new port at Tanjung Priok was officially opened to the public. Here we can see the first station at Tanjung Priok which was located almost at dockside and therefore very convenient for travellers. Eventually two lines ran from Tanjung Priok with the first one heading west to Kota and the second one running south to Pasar Senen and Jatinegara.

This station was used until 1925 and then replaced by the larger but less conveniently situated station that exists today (postcard 359).

62 | Tanjung Priok Station | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920 54

Looking west along Jalan Laksamana Martadinata (previously Prioksche Weg) which connects Kota with the port of Tanjung Priok nine kilometres away to the east. In this idyllic view, we can see the quiet tree-lined street with the canal on the right and the railway line on the left. A horse-drawn cart moves at a leisurely pace in the direction of Tanjung Priok.

Now strikingly different, this area is a severely congested industrial zone and the elevated harbour toll road runs above the canal.

63 | Jalan Laksamana Martadinata | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1920

The completion of the railway line to Tanjung Priok in 1885 also opened up the beach a little further east of the port as a popular recreation spot for Europeans. Located near Cilincing, it was called “Petit Trouville” after Trouville in France. However, swimmers had to be careful and a guidebook from 1917 noted alarmingly that “the bathing-place is enclosed, as a safeguard against crocodiles”, while a visitor a few years earlier wrote “the coast swarms with these brutes…” and “imprudent bathers are often attacked by them...”.

64 | Petit Trouville (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

The bathing-lodge at Petit Trouville. A traveller, Augusta de Wit, visiting around 1910, observed “In one place where the narrow beach broadens out a little, some half dozen shanties, one of which might, by courtesy, be styled a bathing-lodge, have found standing-room between the wood and the water,” and “In the dry season, when Batavia is parched with heat and choked with dust, people come hither for a plunge into the clear cool waves, and for some hours of blissful idleness....”

65 | Petit Trouville (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

55

70-73

68

212

66 69 67

82

95

76 78

83

77 79 74 75

119

84 101-104 81

86 105-108

80

120 96 88

109-116

89

92 97-100 90 91

93

118

87

85 125

94

117

121 124

122

126

123 132 131

128 127

56 129 135 133 137 136

130 140

138

134 139 141

150

143

152 151 145-148

142

149

CHAPTER TWO

1900 to 1920 – The New Jakarta in the South

W

144

hile the commercial and banking hub of Jakarta was “old Batavia” in the north around Kota and Glodok, it was “Weltevreden” or the “uptown” or the “upper town” in the leafy southern environs of Medan Merdeka, Lapangan Banteng, Jalan Juanda and Jalan Veteran that were the centre of the government and military administration and also the modern residential, entertainment and shopping heart of the city – at least for the European population – if for nobody else.

Visitors often noted that the new Jakarta seemed very much like a European town in a tropical setting. Indeed the European population of Jakarta grew rapidly in the early years of the 20th century as both the government and private sector expanded. The number of Europeans more than doubled between 1905 and 1917 from 13,805 to 29,228 and then climbed further to 35,260 by 1927, while never being more than 10% of the total population. It was therefore natural that the colonial capital should be developed to cater for their needs. However, the profile of the average European also changed from the wealthy merchants and planters of the 19th century who lived in spacious white columned homes on large plots of land (postcards 181-182) to company employees and civil servants, for whom more modest housing was required.

Accordingly, it was a particularly important milestone for Jakarta when Menteng was developed from 1910 (postcards 153-156) as the city’s first suburb to be designed according to the principles of modern urban planning, complete with comprehensive infrastructure. Similar modern European-style homes were also built elsewhere in the city at the same time including around Medan Merdeka (postcards 183-184).

Indeed, the Dutch were proud of their modern infrastructure in Jakarta. This included the telephone system (postcards 228-231), drinking water from artesian wells (postcards 226-227), gas for street lighting (postcards 224-225) and, of course, the popular steam and electric tramways which feature prominently in many postcards in this book.

Governors-general enjoyed two fine palaces on Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara (postcard 80) and Jalan Veteran (postcard 81) while numerous government departments were located nearby including the Ministry of Finance building (postcards 135-136). There Not on maps: 172-174, 181-182 and 222-223 Numbers 228-229 appear on map on page 18 Number 234 appears on map on page 148 Numbers 175-176, 193, 196 and 215 appear on map on page 150

57

239

225

189

190

220

greetings from jakarta 238

237 233

201-204

194

212

210

205 207

232

206 192

230 231 214 226

199 200 235 183 185-188

191 221

58

208 197 198

178 211

236

165 166 213 168 167

216-218 224

180 184

227 179

177

154

156

155 157-160

161-164 153

195

219

chapter

: 1900 to 1920 – the

jakarta in the

was also a strong military presence around Lapangan Banteng and Senen (postcards 141152) as well as in Jatinegara (postcards 175-176).

Education and health care became a greater priority for the colonial government both for the European population as well as for indigenous Indonesians. This was especially from 1901, when Queen Wilhelmina announced the so called “ethical policy” designed to give something back to the people of Indonesia after all the years of Indonesian bounty being taken for Holland. Numerous schools began to appear (postcards 193-200) following upon the earlier Catholic initiatives to provide education for girls in the 1850s with the famous Saint Maria and Saint Ursula schools (postcards 201-207), both of which are still among Jakarta’s leading schools today.

The main European shopping districts were along Jalan Juanda, Jalan Veteran and Jalan Majapahit (postcards 78-79, 82-95 and 97-100). Fashions from Paris, jewelry, hats, shoes, gentlemen’s tailors, pianos, books & newspapers, French pastries, wines & spirits from Europe as well as cigars & cigarettes from Cuba and Manila could all be found there for an almost exclusively European customer base. Nearby were the predominantly Chinese-owned shopping areas of Pasar Baru (postcards 117-120) and Pasar Senen (postcards 165-166) which served a multi-ethnic range of shoppers.

There were ample opportunities for entertainment, especially for Europeans. The two famous 19th century social clubs, the Harmonie (postcards 74-77) and the Concordia (postcards 149-150) were still preeminent in the early decades of 20th century, although they were no longer the only centres of European social life. Restaurants and bars, some with dance bands, became popular (postcards 84-85) and the first cinemas in Jakarta began to emerge in the 1900s and 1910s (postcards 212-215). Sports also developed a following (postcards 216-219) despite the tropical climate.

Tourism in Java began to be more organized from early in the 20th century and an “Official Tourist Bureau” was established to help visiting travellers (postcards 101-104).

Jakarta was amply served with fine hotels including three grand hotels, which all survived for more than a century. These were the Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73), the Hotel der Nederlanden (postcards 105-108) and the Grand Hotel Java (postcards 109-116). But there were also more modest lodging establishments from which visitors could choose including the Hotel du Lion d’Or (postcard 232) which is now called the Hotel Sriwijaya and is the oldest hotel in Jakarta today still operating from its original building.

209

170 169

171

59

JALAN GAJAH MADA AND JALAN HAYAM WURUK Looking south along the southern end of Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Gajah Mada with the canal in the centre. Tranquil tree-lined Jalan Hayam Wuruk is on the left where a horse is grazing by the side of the road in front of some of the European colonial homes which still existed there early in the 20th century. Jalan Gajah Mada is on the right where a steam tram is heading north past the famous Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73). Three ladies are washing themselves in the canal where the water was then much cleaner than it is today.

60

66 | Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Gajah Mada | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Dated: 30 November 1900

Here we are looking north from the southern end of Jalan Gajah Mada. Jalan Hayam Wuruk is obscured on the right. A very busy and dusty scene with traffic heading in both directions along Jalan Gajah Mada in the days before it became a one-way street. Two men in the foreground are walking together with similar packs on their backs and perhaps dreaming of making their fortunes in Jakarta. The sign above the second-class tram carriage on the left reads “Soesoe Tjap Nonna. Njang Paling Baik.� (Nonna Brand Milk. The Best).

67 | Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk | Publisher: K. Shimane | Postmarked: 9 March 1917

Looking south along the southern end of Jalan Gajah Mada with the canal on the left and the spacious grounds of the renowned Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73) on the right. This site is now occupied by the Duta Merlin shopping complex and Carrefour. In the distance a steam tram is heading north towards us. Initially horse-drawn trams ran along Jalan Gajah Mada starting from April 1869. These were replaced by steam trams in July 1883 and then in turn by electric trams in October 1933, which operated along this route until 1960.

68 | Jalan Gajah Mada (1) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1908

Looking north along the southern end of Jalan Gajah Mada with the canal on the right of the white-suited man and the grounds of Jakarta’s leading hotel, the Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73), on the left. Prominent here is the hotel’s enormous waringin tree which was often mentioned in early tourist guidebooks. A rather tranquil scene compared to all of the dusty activity in postcard 67 which shows the same section of Jalan Gajah Mada. Such serenity is almost unimaginable when compared with the noisy and congested Jalan Gajah Mada of today.

69 | Jalan Gajah Mada (2) | Publisher: J. C. Blomme | Postmarked: 30 August 1912

61

HOTEL DES INDES The famous Hotel des Indes was one of three grand hotels in Jakarta during the last century of the colonial era, with the other two being the Hotel der Nederlanden (postcards 105108) and the Grand Hotel Java (postcards 109116). However, from the first decade of the 20th century, the Hotel des Indes emerged as the preeminent of the three to become the leading hotel in Jakarta, and indeed throughout Indonesia, a position it would continue to occupy until the opening of Hotel Indonesia on Jalan Thamrin in 1962. See also postcards 280-283.

70 | The Hotel des Indes (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910 62

Occupying a spacious 6.5 hectare site, the Hotel des Indes was located at the southern end of Jalan Gajah Mada, where the Duta Merlin shopping complex and Carrefour stand today. The hotel’s main building seen here was originally a private home and then used as a boarding school for girls in the 1820s before becoming a hotel around 1829. In 1909, the hotel had accommodation for 140 guests, a staff of 155 (including three European chefs) and a stable with room for 50 horses and 40 carriages.

71 | The Hotel des Indes (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

An advertising postcard for the Hotel des Indes showing one of the hotel’s new private bungalows with ensuite bathroom. A glowing account of the hotel in 1909 observed that “… everywhere the best hygienic principles have been adopted in the rearrangement of the old methods of sanitation. The bungalows – many of which have been reconstructed in the form of handsome summer pavilions, are connected with the central building by electric bells, and to every two rooms one servant is attached.”

72 | The Hotel des Indes (3) | Publisher: The Hotel des Indes | Circa: 1910 63

A beautiful view of the Hotel des Indes’ elegant dining room. An account of the hotel in 1925 noted that “The dining-room has sitting accommodation for nearly 400 persons, and connected with it is the extensive lounge, which may be regarded as the chief social rendezvous in Batavia, especially on dance nights, when the scene there is one of great brilliance and interest.” Furthermore, “Needless to say, the daily bill of fare, is of the highest character, and leaves nothing to be desired.”

73 | The Hotel des Indes (4) | Publisher: The Hotel des Indes | Circa: 1920

THE HARMONIE CLUB The Harmonie Club was Jakarta’s most famous colonial era social club and home of some of the city’s elite social life for more than a century, although generally only Europeans could become members. An elegant and attractive building, it occupied a prominent location on the corner of Jalan Veteran and Jalan Majapahit and was the venue for grand balls, dances and concerts as well as the casual recreation of members. It was opened in 1815 by the British lieutenant-governor of Java, Thomas Stamford Raffles, and sadly demolished in 1985.

64

74 | The Harmonie Club (1) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

In an account from 1909, it was favourably noted of the Harmonie Club that “No one in Batavia can complain reasonably of the lack of good clubs. The ‘Harmonie’ …is perhaps best known to visitors. It has excellent accommodation for its members – a ballroom, a fine billiard room containing six tables, a library, and a spacious reading room, where many of the leading papers from Europe, Australia, and America may be found, while every Sunday evening an admirable military band gives a concert in the gardens”.

75 | The Harmonie Club (2) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1910

Looking south from the southern end of Jalan Gajah Mada towards the entrance of Jalan Majapahit with the Harmonie Club on the left and the famous firm of French tailors, Oger Freres, on the right. This was perhaps the most prominent location in Jakarta during the last century of colonial rule and would have been passed by everyone travelling from downtown Jakarta in the north (Kota and Glodok) through to Jakarta’s newer suburbs, government buildings and shopping districts at Weltevreden in the south.

76 | The Harmonie Club (3) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

Here we are looking across the canal that flows between Jalan Juanda and Jalan Veteran towards the front of the Harmonie Club. In the foreground, ladies are washing clothes while a man is swimming near the steps. Neither of these activities would be advisable there now because of the badly polluted water. It was also still possible at that time for small boats like the ones we see here to pass along this canal through to the canal between Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk a little further along on the right. See also postcards 288-291.

77 | The Harmonie Club (4) | Publisher: H. M. Van Dorp & Co. | Circa: 1899

65

JALAN MAJAPAHIT Looking south from the northern end of Jalan Majapahit. The Harmonie Club is on the left and a row of fashionable shops on the right.

From the middle of the 19th century, Jalan Majapahit was known as the Franse buurt (French neighbourhood) because of the many French shopkeepers located along this street.

One of them was the famous firm of tailors, Oger Freres, seen here on the far right, which was founded by two French brothers in the 1820s and survived for well over a century into the 1950s. See also posctcard 290.

66

78 | Jalan Majapahit (1) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

Looking north from near the northern end of Jalan Majapahit. Second from the left is the renowned firm of French tailors, Oger Freres, and beside it Paul Coiffeur which was presumably a French owned salon or perhaps one given a French name because all things French were fashionable in Jakarta during the second half of the 19th century and early 20th century. On the right are the columns of the entrance to the Harmonie Club (postcards 74-77). The man on the ladder appears to be extinguishing the gas lamps.

79 | Jalan Majapahit (2) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1911

THE PALACES The Istana Merdeka (Independence Palace) on Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara was completed in 1879 for the colonial governors-general and is today the palace of the President of Indonesia.

Here we are witnessing a ceremony to mark the transfer of power from one governor-general to his successor, probably in 1899 from Jonkheer Carel Herman Aart van der Wijck to Willem Rooseboom. This palace is located on the same spacious grounds as the Istana Negara (State Palace) that we can see in the postcard below.

80 | The Istana Merdeka Presidential Palace | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1903 67

The older of the two Presidential palaces in Jakarta is the Istana Negara on Jalan Veteran which was built as a grand private residence in the late 1790s or very early 1800s. It became the official residence of the governor-general from 1820 until the completion of the Istana Merdeka (postcard above) in 1879. It was regarded by many people as being too small to be a real palace worthy of a governor-general but was nevertheless tolerated until the Istana Merdeka was completed.

81 | The Istana Negara Presidential Palace | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 7 May 1902

JALAN JUANDA Looking across the canal from Jalan Veteran towards the western end of Jalan Juanda and two white painted colonial-style stores. The store on the left is De Tabaksplant, a tobacco merchant and importer of Havana and Manila cigars that survived until the 1950s (although not in the same building). There is a busy scene beside the canal with clothes or fabrics being washed and then dried on racks further up the bank. This activity would not be advisable today in the polluted waters of this canal.

68

82 | The Western End of Jalan Juanda | Publisher: The Official Tourist Bureau | Circa: 1910

The Netherlands Indies Life Insurance and Annuity Company (better known by its Dutch acronym NILLMIJ) was established in Jakarta in 1859. Initially operating from the old Kali Besar district in Kota, its new head office, seen here, was completed in 1909 and located on the corner of Jalan Juanda and Jalan Juanda III. This building still exists, although its faรงade has been completely altered, and is now occupied by the state-owned Indonesian life insurance company, PT Asuransi Jiwasraya.

83 | The NILLMIJ Life Insurance Company | Publisher: NILLMIJ Advertising Card | Circa: 1909

Maison Versteeg was one of the most famous restaurants in colonial Jakarta for more than half a century, with a dance hall upstairs and an open air cafĂŠ and bar downstairs facing the street where a band played every evening. They also had their own bakery and ice creamery, bottled their own orangeade and were agents for a wide variety of European wines and spirits. Founded in 1874, Maison Versteeg was located on Jalan Juanda on the eastern side of the Ursuline Convent (now the Saint Maria School). See also postcard 302.

84 | Maison Versteeg | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 69

The First Batavia Beer Hall was located on Jalan Juanda, near the eastern end of the street.

Jalan Juanda and Jalan Veteran were among the main centres of entertainment for Europeans in Jakarta during the first half of the 20th century.

Other popular restaurants and cafes such as Maison Versteeg (postcard above), Rikkers, Stam & Weyns and Toko Oen were all located on Jalan Juanda while the Harmonie Club and both the Hotel der Nederlanden and the Grand Hotel Java were nearby on Jalan Veteran.

85 | The First Batavia Beer Hall | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

JALAN JUANDA AND JALAN VETERAN In the early 1900s, Jalan Juanda and Jalan Veteran were an elite residential area for Europeans as well as a fashionable shopping district. Here we are looking south towards two colonial homes that were located on the corner of Jalan Veteran and Jalan Veteran III. The house on the right also served as the studio of the famous firm of photographers, Woodbury & Page, which operated in Jakarta from 1857 until 1908. This site is now the location of the Bina Graha office of the President of Indonesia.

86 | Jalan Veteran III | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 70

Looking west from the eastern end of Jalan Juanda. From the middle of the 19th century until the end of the colonial era, Jalan Juanda was one of the most popular European shopping districts in Jakarta, offering many fine boutiques, tailors and restaurants. In this scene, the large double-storey white building in the centre had at different times been the premises of the famous bookseller, G. Kolff & Co. (postcards 90-92) and the tobacco merchants, Anton Justman (postcards 97-100).

87 | Jalan Juanda | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1908

Three businesses on Jalan Juanda as seen from Jalan Veteran. From right to left (Jalan Juanda 17 to 19) are the gentlemen’s tailors, M. de Koning (founded in 1902), a branch of the Netherlands Trading Company that was opened in 1912 (see also postcard below) and on the left, the Onderlinge Hulp department store (established in 1885). None of these buildings still exist and on these sites now are respectively a Chinese restaurant, a branch of Bank Mandiri and a Ministry of Finance office.

88 | Three Businesses on Jalan Juanda | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912 71

The Netherlands Trading Company (better known by its Dutch acronym NHM) was founded by King Willem I of Holland in 1824 to rebuild Dutch international trade and shipping after they had been decimated during the European wars in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The NHM played a major role in developing Indonesia’s sugar, coffee and tobacco industries for export. They also diversified into banking in 1882. This fine building was a branch of the NHM which was opened on Jalan Juanda in 1912. See also postcard 247.

89 | The Netherlands Trading Company | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1915

G. KOLFF & CO.

Established in 1848, G. Kolff & Co. was the most famous firm of booksellers, publishers and printers in Indonesia during the colonial era. They also published newspapers, including the Bataviaasch Nieuwsblad (advertised on this building) which was launched in 1885. Initially operating only from premises on Jalan Kali Besar Timur in the old Kota district of North Jakarta, G. Kolff & Co. opened this branch on Jalan Juanda in September 1894, to be closer to the book-buying public in Jakarta’s expanding southern suburbs of Weltevreden.

72

90 | G. Kolff & Co. (1) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1900

This early multi-view postcard shows the exterior of the premises of G. Kolff & Co. on Jalan Juanda in the upper panel (which is a more complete view of the same photograph we can see in postcard 90) and also the interior of the store, with its extensive stock, in the lower panel. G. Kolff & Co. was also one of the four largest picture postcard publishers in colonial Jakarta, along with Visser & Co., Tio Tek Hong and F. B. Smits. There are 39 postcards in this book that were published by G. Kolff & Co.

91 | G. Kolff & Co. (2) | Publisher: Toko Centrum | Circa: 1900 73

In September 1911, G. Kolff & Co. relocated its Jalan Juanda branch from the building in postcards 90 and 91 to this newly completed store, also located on Jalan Juanda. An account of G. Kolff & Co. in 1925 noted that “One of the most interesting departments of that attractive storehouse of world literature is the one devoted to old books, and amongst its extensive stock of these is many a rare old volume and state almanacs dating back to 1813.� An enduring firm, G. Kolff & Co. survived for more than a century until into the 1950s.

92 | G. Kolff & Co. (3) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912

VISSER & CO. A leading firm of booksellers, printers, and picture postcard publishers, Visser & Co. holds the honour of producing in 1892 what are likely to have been the first ever picture postcards to depict views of Jakarta, after a new postal law was passed in Holland in the same year which authorized the use of such postcards (see Appendix II on page 232 and postcards 428 and 431). Visser & Co.’s premises were located at the eastern end of Jalan Veteran and the firm survived until at least the early 1950s.

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93 | Visser & Co. (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

A very decorative and beautifully designed advertising postcard for the Visser & Co. bookstore on Jalan Veteran, with smiling young women dressed as clowns forming the shapes of each of the letters in the Visser & Co. name. Visser & Co. was one of the four major postcard publishers in colonial Jakarta along with G. Kolff & Co. (which were located opposite Visser & Co. on Jalan Juanda and can be seen in postcards 90-92), Tio Tek Hong and F. B. Smits. There are 76 postcards in this book that were published by Visser & Co. 94 | Visser & Co. (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

AROUND JALAN JUANDA The premises of F. B. Smits, bookbinders and picture framers, were located near the western end of Jalan Juanda. The four European men standing near a framed picture on an artist’s easel and the two Indonesian men seated on the steps in front of them might be the firm’s staff.

F. B. Smits were also one of the leading postcard publishers in colonial Jakarta with most of their postcards being issued between 1900 and 1905.

There are 48 postcards in this book that were published by F. B. Smits.

95 | F. B. Smits | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1905

Looking north along Jalan Pecenongan from Jalan Juanda along a row of mainly Chineseowned shops and food stalls. On the far right, the sign above the shop entreats passers-by to ask for “Mulhens” perfumes and soaps because “They are the best”. This corner site is now occupied by a branch of Bank OCBC NISP. Further along is the tailor, Gouw Kim Sam. Today Jalan Pecenongan is promoted as Wisata Kuliner Pecenongan (Pecenongan Culinary Tourism) because of the many food stalls that are especially popular in the evenings.

96 | Jalan Pecenongan | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

75

THE ANTON JUSTMAN TOBACCO COMPANY The Anton Justman Tobacco Company was a cigarette manufacturer and tobacco merchant which operated both its store and factory from this building near the eastern end of Jalan Juanda (see also postcard 87). In 1908, the British American Tobacco Company (BAT) acquired Anton Justman to enter the Indonesian market.

Manufacturing ceased at these premises in 1914, but BAT continued to operate in Indonesia under the Anton Justman name until the early 1920s. This building no longer exists.

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97 | The Anton Justman Tobacco Company (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

The interior of the well stocked Anton Justman cigarette and cigar store on Jalan Juanda. An advertisement from 1909 announced that the Anton Justman stores in Batavia (Jakarta) and Surabaya are the “Largest and Most Important Cigar Stores in East Asia” and conduct “Direct import of all qualities (of) Dutch, Havana (&) Manila Cigars”. “The Batavia store is stocked regularly with more than half a million Cigars”, and has the “Largest assortment of English, Egyptian, Russian and American Cigarettes.”

98 | The Anton Justman Tobacco Company (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

Anton Justman was one of the earliest producers of machine rolled cigarettes in Indonesia and here production is underway at the Anton Justman factory on Jalan Juanda using tobacco sourced from Java and Sumatra.

On the back wall are posters for Cycle brand cigarettes, a brand owned by the American Tobacco Company which was a co-founder of BAT in 1902, and perhaps a brand that was manufactured at the Anton Justman factory.

A very colonial scene here with Indonesian workers and European supervisors.

99 | The Anton Justman Tobacco Company (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

The busy packaging department at Anton Justman’s cigarette factory on Jalan Juanda.

Most of the physical work is being done

by Indonesian men with four Europeans presumably acting as supervisors, including one rather corpulent European leaning rather nonchalantly against the wall on the right with a document in his hand. There are also two Chinese men present at the back, with unknown duties, who have the long single pigtail that was still common among Chinese men in Jakarta at the time.

100 | The Anton Justman Tobacco Company (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

77

THE OFFICIAL TOURIST BUREAU

78

101 | The Official Tourist Bureau (1) Publisher: The Official Tourist Bureau | Circa: 1910

102 | The Official Tourist Bureau (2) Publisher: The Official Tourist Bureau | Circa: 1910

Despite the great beauty of Java being well known around the world, tourism was slow to develop. However, by 1908 the business community in Jakarta, recognising the stimulus to the economy that tourism could provide, decided to establish the Official Tourist Bureau which the colonial government agreed to partly fund. This beautiful postcard was published by the Bureau and advertises Java’s charms as “The Garden of the East”, “The Land of Eternal Summer”, “Splendid Motoring” and “Only 40 Hours from Singapore”.

Another postcard showing an idyllic Javanese scene that was published by the Official Tourist Bureau (Vereeniging Toeristen Verkeer) but this time in Dutch for the market in Holland with the address of the Bureau’s agent in Amsterdam printed at the bottom. The Bureau also appointed agents in Port Said (Suez Canal), Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney “whose duty it is to point out to travellers the manifold attractions of Java and to offer them every possible inducement for extending their tour to Netherlands India.”

The Official Tourist Bureau was initially based at the famous Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73) because the general manager of the hotel, Mr. J. M. Gantvoort, was instrumental in the Bureau’s establishment in 1908. However, the Bureau soon obtained its own attractive building which was centrally located at the western end of Jalan Veteran on the corner of Gang Pool. Here travellers could obtain maps, guidebooks and pamphlets providing information on Java in Dutch, English, French and German.

103 | The Official Tourist Bureau (3) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1915 79

Another view of the premises of the Official Tourist Bureau with the distinctive large circular windows on the front and side, but this time looking south along Gang Pool on the left from the corner of Jalan Veteran. This building no longer exists and indeed, Gang Pool also no longer exists as a public road because it now forms part of the grounds of the State Secretariat. The Official Tourist Bureau also published picture postcards including postcard 82 and the two advertising postcards on the left.

104 | The Official Tourist Bureau (4) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1912

HOTEL DER NEDERLANDEN The Hotel der Nederlanden was one of the three grand hotels in colonial Jakarta (with the other two being the Hotel des Indes and the Grand Hotel Java) and was very centrally located on Jalan Veteran where the Bina Graha presidential office now stands. Originally built as a private residence in 1794, it was occupied

by Thomas Stamford Raffles when he served as lieutenant-governor of Java from 1811-1816. It became a hotel around 1840 and was given the name Hotel der Nederlanden in 1846.

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105 | The Hotel der Nederlanden (1) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

In 1909, it was noted of the Hotel der Nederlanden’s dining room that “The spacious dining hall, which forms the chief part of the central building, is capable of seating two hundred people. The kitchens are under a European chef and European assistants, and all European dishes, in addition to the favourite ‘riz-tafel’ are served.” The hotel also opened a “tiffin” (luncheon) room in Jakarta’s old downtown business district on Jalan Pintu Besar Utara “for the convenience of businessmen”, which was said to be very popular.

106 | The Hotel der Nederlanden (2) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

A pavilion at the Hotel der Nederlanden. An account of the hotel in 1909 observed that “The bungalows and pavilions are much sought after by the visitors, and it is but natural they should be, for with their wide and secluded verandahs, separate bathrooms, and complete isolation they combine the comforts of private residences with the conveniences and advantages of hotel life. A pavilion consists of a sitting and bedroom with a private bathroom, while a bungalow comprises three rooms.”

107 | The Hotel der Nederlanden (3) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 81

A view of the comfortable interior of one of the rooms at the Hotel der Nederlanden. A writer in 1925 noted that “All the apartments are well furnished and equipped with electric lights, call bells, and running water, their own private bath and toilet rooms attached or in the immediate vicinity.” and further “The tiled floor in each apartment is an appreciable feature towards coolness and cleanliness. In the Hotel der Nederlanden all the sanitation is also on the most modern principles….”

108 | The Hotel der Nederlanden (4) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

GRAND HOTEL JAVA Established in 1834, the Grand Hotel Java was one of the three leading hotels in colonial Jakarta together with the Hotel des Indes and the Hotel der Nederlanden. Occupying spacious grounds at the eastern end of Jalan Veteran that extended all the way through to Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara, the hotel had the atmosphere of a large private residence and was popular with long-staying guests and families.

The Grand Hotel Java reached its centenary in 1934 but ceased to operate during the 1940s.

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109 | The Grand Hotel Java (1) | Publisher: The Grand Hotel Java | Circa: 1905

A view of the hotel’s elegant dining room and some of the staff. In 1909, it was noted that “The dining hall, which is situated in the main building, is shortly to be converted into a billiard room, and a new and more spacious dining salon has already been planned to take its place. The kitchens have just been entirely rebuilt. They are large, well ventilated, well arranged, and are under the charge of an expert chef.” This postcard probably shows the old dining hall before it became a billiard room.

110 | The Grand Hotel Java (2) | Publisher: The Grand Hotel Java | Circa: 1905

An account of the Grand Hotel Java in 1909 noted that “One of its distinct features is that all the rooms are built on solid platforms raised some four feet from the ground, thus rendering them more cool and healthy, and there is no hotel in the town, probably no hotel in the island, which has so many private bathrooms in comparison with the total number of rooms in the building.” The handwritten mijn kamer (my room) at the bottom is a nice personal touch to show the recipient where the sender stayed.

111 | The Grand Hotel Java (3) | Publisher: The Grand Hotel Java | Circa: 1905

Seven well dressed gentlemen enjoying the hotel’s popular reading room. A description of the hotel in 1909 observed that “In the reading room there is always a good supply of Dutch, English, French and German papers and magazines, all of which languages are spoken fluently by the hotel officials.” In the early 20th century, when this postcard was published, newspapers, magazines and books from Europe came to Jakarta by steamer and were keenly awaited in the era before radio and television.

112 | The Grand Hotel Java (4) | Publisher: The Grand Hotel Java | Circa: 1913

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GRAND HOTEL JAVA ( CONTINUED ) The barber shop at the Grand Hotel Java. Three well dressed European barbers are tending to their European customers. An Indonesian assistant is helping on the left. The moustache was clearly in vogue for European men at the time. During the second half of the 19th century Jalan Juanda, Jalan Veteran and Jalan Majapahit emerged as the leading shopping, entertaining, dining and hotel district for Europeans in Jakarta, a position it would hold until the end of the colonial era.

113 | The Grand Hotel Java (5) | Publisher: The Grand Hotel Java | Circa: 1913 84

The well-stocked store of the barber shop at the Grand Hotel Java with a wide selection of gentlemen’s requisites including hats, razors, blades, hair oils and Pebeco toothpaste.

The Grand Hotel Java rarely advertised and cultivated the atmosphere of being a large and tranquil family home for its guests. This was in comparison with the Hotel des Indes and the Hotel der Nederlanden which regularly hosted concerts and dances and sought to be at the centre of Jakarta’s vibrant social scene.

114 | The Grand Hotel Java (6) | Publisher: The Grand Hotel Java | Circa: 1913

The hotel’s kantoor (office) was surprisingly open to the elements with no external walls on two sides and only what seems to be canvas blinds that could be rolled down when it rained. Behind the European man in the centre, an Indonesian man appears to be talking on the large wall mounted telephone. The telegraph was a common means of making hotel reservations a century ago and hotels had their own code to simplify the process for guests. For example, the letters “ALBA” meant “reserve one single-bedded room”.

115 | The Grand Hotel Java (7) | Publisher: The Grand Hotel Java | Circa: 1913 85

The carriage garage at the Grand Hotel Java.

In 1909 an account of the hotel observed that there are “large and well-appointed livery stables where horses and plain or rubber-tyred carriages may always be obtained. The hotel is quite close to the Weltevreden railway stations, and ‘runners’ and carriages meet all trains, as well as the boats at Tandjong Priok.” The age of the motor car would just have been dawning when this postcard was published but here there is not yet an automobile in sight.

116 | The Grand Hotel Java (8) | Publisher: The Grand Hotel Java | Circa: 1913

PASAR BARU Looking north into the entrance of Jalan Pasar Baru. Pasar Baru (new market) dates back to the 1820s and was indeed the “new” market in Jakarta’s newly developing southern suburbs at Weltevreden in the first half of the 19th century. The name was clearly meant to invite comparison with the two older southern Jakarta markets of Pasar Senen and Pasar Tanah Abang which both date back to 1735. The Pasar Baru district is centred around Jalan Pasar Baru seen here and also Jalan Pintu Air nearby.

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117 Pasar Baru (1) | Publisher: The Netherlands Indies Publicity Bureau | Circa: 1910

The distinctly Chinese architectural character of the shops and shophouses that we can see here along Jalan Pasar Baru has almost completely disappeared. However, there still remains to this day one original 19th-century double-storey Chinese shophouse on Jalan Pasar Baru which has survived almost unchanged from when it was first built around the second half of the century. It trades as Toko Kompak at Jalan Pasar Baru No. 18A and is similar to the shophouse on the far right hand side of this postcard.

118 Pasar Baru (2) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1910

Tio Tek Hong was born in Pasar Baru in 1877 and opened his own retail business in 1902 at Jalan Pasar Baru No. 93, which is the building we can see here in this decorative postcard. He sold a wide variety of merchandise including air rifles and ammunition, gramophone records, sporting goods, musical equipment, watches, clocks and also very importantly, picture postcards. Tio Tek Hong was one of the four most important postcard publishers in colonial Jakarta and 78 of his postcards appear in this book. See also postcards 120, 312 and 314.

119 Pasar Baru (3) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1905

Looking north along Jalan Pasar Baru. The premises of leading postcard publisher, Tio Tek Hong, at Jalan Pasar Baru No. 93 (see also the postcard above), are in the centre just behind the electric power pole. A little further north, although not clearly visible, is the firm of Lee Ie Seng, stationers and paper merchants, at Jalan Pasar Baru No. 119, which was established in 1873 and is today run by the great-grandson of the founder as perhaps the oldest family-owned business still operating on Jalan Pasar Baru.

120 Pasar Baru (4) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

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AROUND PASAR BARU Looking north across the Pasar Baru canal from Jalan Pos towards the western end of Jalan Antara. On the right is the European-style store Nieuwewinkel (new store) of the tailor, F. Muthmann, and beside it a private home that appears to be offering kamers (rooms) for rent.

The side wall of a Chinese shop is visible on the far left. None of these buildings still exist today.

In the foreground, a busy scene with clothes or fabrics being washed in the canal and then dried on racks further up the bank.

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121 | Jalan Antara | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1910

Looking northwest from Jalan Pos towards the western end of Jalan Antara in the direction of Jalan Pintu Air. On the left are the Pasar Baru ice works. The first commercial ice works in Jakarta commenced operations in April 1870, although ice machines for household use were being offered for sale as early as 1866. Iced kelapa muda (young coconut) was especially popular with young children at the time. On the right is the same Nieuwewinkel store that we can see more clearly in the postcard above.

122 | Ice Works at Pintu Air | Publisher: H. M. van Dorp & Co. | Circa: November 1899

This sluisbrug (sluice gate or lock) was located near the southern end of Jalan Pintu Air (Water Gate Street) and was part of a canal system dating back to the 17th century. The system was built by the VOC for transportation and to ensure a consistent flow of water along the canal between Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk where many water-powered sugar, gunpowder and timber mills were located. This sluice gate was replaced around 1920 by a more modern one which still exists today.

123 | The Pintu Air Sluice Gate | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900 89

Looking west along the Pasar Baru canal with the office of the KPM shipping company (postcard 125), with its pointed turret, in the distance. This building, completed in 1901, stands out strikingly amid what is still largely a single-storey 19th-century setting. Jalan Pos is on the left and Jalan Antara, with two Dutch flags flying, is on the right. The northern bank of the canal was a popular place for washing and drying fabrics and clothing as can also be seen in postcards 121 and 122.

124 | Pasar Baru Canal | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 26 June 1911

AROUND PASAR BARU ( CONTINUED ) The Royal Dutch Packet Company (better known by its Dutch acronym KPM) dominated shipping in Indonesia from 1891 until 1957 (see also postcard 55). In 1901, the KPM moved to these handsome new premises that they had built on the south-western corner of Jalan Pintu Air, before relocating again to even larger headquarters in 1918 on Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur. Sadly this building no longer exists and the abandoned shell of an unfinished shopping complex now stands on this site.

125 | Office of the KPM Shipping Company | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905 90

Located fittingly enough on Jalan Pos (Post Street) near Pasar Baru, this fine old building served as Jakarta’s main Post & Telegraph office from at least 1853 until it was eventually demolished and replaced on the same site by its successor in 1913 (see postcard 319).

Accordingly, it was Jakarta’s central post office during the golden age of picture postcards from the 1890s until the First World War (1914-1918) and untold thousands of postcards would have passed through this building, including many that appear in this book.

126 | The Old Central Post & Telegraph Office | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

THE THEATRE BUILDING Jakarta’s beautiful theatre, the Schouwburg or Gedung Kesenian, was completed in 1821.

Dramas, comedies and operas were often performed here but the shortage of European women in Jakarta during most of the 19th century meant that many female roles had to be played by men. Visiting French theatre troupes with real actresses were especially popular from the mid-1830s, which marked the beginning of the strong French influence on Jakarta’s European cultural and social life that would last for the rest of the 19th century.

127 | The Gedung Kesenian Theatre (1) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1907

Looking south from Jalan Pasar Baru towards the Schouwburg or Gedung Kesenian where on 29 August 1945, only twelve days after the declaration of independence, President Sukarno inaugurated the Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat (Indonesian National Central Committee) as a precursor to Indonesia’s first parliament. The theatre building then suffered a period of neglect before being used as a cinema from 1968 until 1985. It was renovated in the mid-1980s and reopened as the Gedung Kesenian theatre in 1987.

128 | The Gedung Kesenian Theatre (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

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WILHELMINA PARK The site where the Istiqlal Mosque is located today has had many uses over the years. In the 1820s, there was a hospital situated there.

In the early 1830s, the government began a series of initiatives to improve Jakarta’s military defences, one of which was to build a military citadel on the site which it named the Prince Hendrik Citadel. It was used for many years as a weapons storehouse and every day at 5.00 am and 8.00 pm a cannon would be fired from it. The citadel was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the Istiqlal Mosque.

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129 | The Prince Hendrik Citadel | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1920

In 1898, Queen Wilhelmina ascended to the Dutch throne and, to mark the occasion, the site where the Istiqlal Mosque is now located was made into a beautiful park and named after the new monarch. An ornate foot bridge was built over the river with a large “W” for Wilhelmina in the centre of it. The park included the Prince Hendrik Citadel (postcard above) from where this photograph was probably taken. The houses in the distance are on Jalan Perwira.

After independence, the park was renamed Taman Wijaya Kusuma.

130 | Wilhelmina Park | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 26 October 1904

WILHELMINA PARK AND THE ACEH MONUMENT The Aceh War from 1873 to 1904 was the longest and bloodiest war fought by the Dutch during their colonial occupation of Indonesia.

In 1898, six years before the war finally ended, this “Angel of Peace” monument was erected at Wilhelmina Park (now the location of the Istiqlal Mosque) which, with typical colonial arrogance and insensitivity, was dedicated “To the Founders of Dutch Authority on Northern Sumatra” and also inscribed “Holy are we – The Remembrance of the Fallen”. The monument was demolished in June 1961.

131 | The Aceh Monument at Wilhelmina Park (1) | Publisher: J. C. Blomme | Circa: 1910 93

A view of Wilhelmina Park and the Aceh Monument that would have been taken from the KPM building (postcard 125) on the southwestern corner of Jalan Pintu Air. A tranquil view of a very centrally located park that was walking distance from Medan Merdeka, Lapangan Banteng and Pasar Baru. There was also easy access by the tram that plied the Jalan Veteran and Jalan Pos route. After independence, Wilhelmina Park was renamed Taman Wijaya Kusuma and the Istiqlal Mosque is now located there.

132 | The Aceh Monument at Wilhelmina Park (2) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

LAPANGAN BANTENG AND THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE BUILDING Lapangan Banteng has had many names and uses over the years. In 1649, it was part of a large tract of land granted to Anthonij Paviljoen which became known as Paviljoensveld and was used for grazing cattle. In the 18th century, it formed part of the original Weltevreden estate which was successively owned by wealthy landowners as well as three VOC governorsgeneral. By the turn of the 19th century, it had started to develop a military feel and was known as the Paradeplaats (Parade Square).

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133 | Lapangan Banteng (1) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

In 1828, the Waterloo monument (postcard 139) was erected on the Paradeplaats and thereafter the square became known as Waterlooplein, a name that would survive for over a century until it was renamed Lapangan Banteng after Indonesian independence. In this postcard, we are looking east across Lapangan Banteng towards the Ministry of Finance building on Jalan Lapangan Banteng Timur. Several cattle can be seen grazing here, which was no different to when Anthonij Paviljoen owned this land in the 17th century.

134 | Lapangan Banteng (2) | Publisher: The Netherlands Indies Publicity Bureau | Circa: 1910

In 1808, when Governor-General Daendels decided to destroy the old castle and walled city of Jakarta in the north and move the administrative centre of the city southwards, he also needed to build a new governor-general’s palace. In March 1809, he chose Jalan Lapangan Banteng Timur for this purpose. However, by the time he was replaced as governor-general in 1811, work was only half finished and his successors’ other priorities meant construction stopped for the next fifteen years.

135 | The Ministry of Finance Building (1) Publisher: H. M. Van Dorp & Co. | Circa 1899 (but dated 18 December 1900)

It would not be until 1826 that the order was given for work on Daendels’ palace to recommence and construction was finally completed in 1828, some nineteen years after it had begun. However, this building was never used as a palace and over the years it has housed numerous government bureaus and departments including the post office, the state printing office and the general clerk’s department. Since independence, it has functioned as the headquarters of the Indonesian Ministry of Finance.

136 | The Ministry of Finance Building (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

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MONUMENTS AT LAPANGAN BANTENG

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137 | The J. P. Coen Statue | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. Circa: 1907

138 | The Michiels Monument | Publisher: F. B. Smits Circa: 1905

This monument was erected in honour of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the founder of Batavia (Jakarta) on behalf of the VOC in 1619, and was located in front of the Ministry of Finance building on Jalan Lapangan Banteng Timur (postcards 135-136). The first stone for the monument was laid in 1869 to mark the city’s 250th anniversary but the statue was not officially unveiled until 1876 because the government feared it might cause a backlash from the local population (but which never materialized). It was destroyed in 1943 during the Japanese occupation.

The Michiels monument was erected in honour of Major General Andreas Victor Michiels, an army commander who led the third Dutch military expedition against the Balinese and died of his wounds on 23 May 1849. The monument was located at the junction of Jalan Lapangan Banteng Barat and Jalan Perwira and was probably erected between 1853 and 1855. It was destroyed either during the Japanese occupation (1942-45) or shortly after independence. Michiels was buried at the Taman Prasasti (European cemetery) in Tanah Abang.

In 1828, the Waterloo monument was erected on Lapangan Banteng to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. The monument was a tall white column with a rather small lion perched on top and gave rise to Lapangan Banteng sometimes being called Lapangan Singa (lion field). The monument was often the butt of jokes with people claiming the lion looked more like a poodle. Nevertheless, it survived for more than a century until it was demolished during the Japanese occupation of 1942-45.

139 | The Waterloo Monument | Publisher: The Hotel des Indes | Circa: 1910

Looking east along leafy Jalan Perwira (previously Willemslaan). Ahead is the Michiels monument (postcard 138) on the junction with Jalan Lapangan Banteng Barat and behind it is the Ministry of Finance building (postcards 135-136) on Jalan Lapangan Banteng Timur.

In modern terms, the Istiqlal Mosque is now on the left and the Ministry of Religion on the right. The Michiels monument no longer exists and was another colonial monument that was torn down after the end of the colonial era.

140 | Jalan Perwira | Publisher: The Netherlands Indies Publicity Bureau | Circa: 1910

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THE MILITARY AROUND LAPANGAN BANTENG During the first half of the 19th century, Lapangan Banteng developed a strong military feel which would last until the end of the colonial era. Around Lapangan Banteng and its immediate vicinity could be found the military commander’s residence, officers’ housing, barracks for enlisted soldiers, the Concordia Military Club and the military hospital.

Lapangan Banteng was also used for military parades and ceremonies including the award giving ceremony that we can see here.

141 | The Army at Lapangan Banteng | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Postmarked: 28 July 1911 98

The military hospital was established in 1857 on Jalan Dr. Abdul Rahman Saleh (then Hospitaalweg). The Gatot Subroto Army Hospital now occupies the same site. During the 19th century, conditions at the hospital were very bad and medical staff often ranged from the poorly trained to the criminally negligent.

It was frequently said that soldiers were more afraid of being sent to hospital than facing the enemy. More soldiers died from diseases such as cholera and beriberi than from battle wounds.

142 | Hospital Street | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

The site where the Hotel Borobudur now stands was for many years the location of army officer housing, as can be seen here where we are looking west along Jalan Lapangan Banteng Selatan. Officers in the colonial army in Indonesia had to be either Dutchmen or Eurasian men who had been legally “acknowledged” by their Dutch fathers. There was a relatively high proportion of Eurasians among the officer corps. Occasionally nonDutch Europeans could also become officers if they displayed exceptional skills.

143 | Jalan Lapangan Banteng Selatan | Publisher: To Tek Hong | Circa: 1905 99

Governor-General Johannes van den Bosch (governor-general 1830-33) devised a plan to encircle the southern districts of Jakarta with a fortification that became known as the “van den Bosch defence line”. It was centred on the Prince Hendrik Citadel (postcard 129) and ran from Jalan Kebon Sirih through Jalan Prapatan, Jalan Kramat Bunder and along Jalan Bungur Besar. But whatever threat van den Bosch envisaged never materialized and his defence line was never used for military purposes.

144 | The van den Bosch Defence Line | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1905

THE MILITARY AROUND LAPANGAN BANTENG ( CONTINUED ) In the latter years of the 18th century, it was the Jatinegara area (then known as Meester Cornelis) that was the main military centre of Jakarta. However, in the late 1790s, the government decided that the core of the army should be located closer to the governor-general and the area around Lapangan Banteng was chosen for this purpose. Housing for officers (postcard 143) and the barracks seen here and in the postcard below for infantry and artillery soldiers were then built on land that is now occupied by the Hotel Borobudur.

145 | The Army Barracks (1) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 100

Between two-thirds and three-quarters of the colonial army were indigenous Indonesians.

Ambonese and Menadonese soldiers in particular were regarded as being excellent fighters (although they were felt to be difficult to control back at barracks). They were also the only indigenous troops to be issued footwear before 1908. European enlisted soldiers were not permitted to marry. However, taking an indigenous concubine (nyai) was officially sanctioned and very common and concubines were also permitted to live at the barracks.

146 | The Army Barracks (2) | Publisher: Emil Aab | Circa: 1910

The Dutch colonial army in Indonesia was a volunteer force but one which struggled to attract high quality recruits from Europe. It had a reputation for taking whomever it could get, including convicted criminals, soldiers dismissed from the Dutch regular army, adventure seekers and men on the run from the law or who could not pass the physical or age standards for entry into a European army.

Accordingly, it had shades of the famous French Foreign Legion and included soldiers from numerous disparate nationalities.

147 | Soldiers at the Army Barracks | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

Lower ranking enlisted soldiers in Indonesia were generally not welcome into mainstream colonial European society because of the rough behaviour and undesirable characteristics of many of them (see caption above). Even during the First World War (1914-18) most clubs and restaurants in Jakarta refused entry to these soldiers. Such discrimination continued until the 1930s. Accordingly, they had to find their own entertainment in their barracks and alcohol, women and gambling (as seen in this postcard) were the most popular.

148 | Gambling at the Army Barracks | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Postmarked: 30 July 1903

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THE CONCORDIA MILITARY CLUB Colonial Jakarta had two famous social clubs: namely, the Harmonie Club (postcards 74 to 77) and the Concordia Military Club, seen here, which was located on the south-eastern corner of Jalan Lapangan Banteng Timur on the southern side of the Ministry of Finance building (postcards 135-136). Established in 1833 and with its own permanent building by 1836, the Concordia was open to military officers and also to civilians. Many grand balls and important parties were held there, especially during the 19th century.

149 | The Concordia Military Club (1) | Publisher: J. C. Blomme | Circa: 1910 102

The Concordia Military Club was especially famous for its Saturday evening garden concerts which were very popular with Jakarta’s colonial elite. The orchestra would perform not only military music but also works by popular composers such as Strauss and Verdi. The decorative Wilhelmina Pavilion seen here was erected by the Concordia in 1898 to mark the coronation of Dutch Queen Wilhelmina and was probably built as a temporary structure for the purpose of coronation festivities.

150 | The Concordia Military Club (2) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Postmarked: 28 February 1905

THE MILITARY COMMANDER’S RESIDENCE This elegant mansion was built at Jalan Pejambon in the early 1830s as the new official residence of the Dutch military commander after the previous residence nearby was sold in 1828 to the Catholic church. During the First World War (1914-18), the military high command was moved to Bandung and from 1918 this building was used by the newly formed Volksraad (People’s Council) which advised the governor-general and which was the first national-level council to include Indonesian representation (see also postcard 322).

151 | The Military Commander’s Residence (1) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900 103

The military commander’s residence on Jalan Pejambon was located in an area which became known as Hertogspark (Duke’s Park) after Duke Bernhard of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach (1792-1862) who served as the colonial army commander from 1849-51. Here we enjoy a scene of lush tropical tranquillity with three well dressed young girls strolling in the park on the left and a horse-drawn cart and its driver heading west along Jalan Pejambon on the right. The military commander’s residence still exists today as Gedung Pancasila.

152 | The Military Commander’s Residence (2) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

MENTENG The suburb of Menteng (or New Gondangdia as it was originally known) was the first modern housing development in Jakarta.

Commencing in 1910, Menteng was the recently formed Jakarta City Council’s first attempt at comprehensive urban planning that incorporated infrastructure needs such as water, electricity, asphalted roads, parks and flood control within a single master plan.

Developed primarily for Europeans, Menteng also became a showcase for early 20th century European architecture in Indonesia.

153 | Menteng (1) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912 104

What is today the Mesjid Cut Meutia (Cut Meutia Mosque) was originally built in 1912 as the offices of N.V. de Bouwploeg, the company established by the Jakarta City Council to design and build the suburb of Menteng. For many years, this building was known as Gedung Boplo (Boplo Building) with the word Boplo being derived from the word Bouwploeg. Over the years, it has had many uses including as an office of the State Railways (as in this postcard) before becoming the Mesjid Cut Meutia in 1985.

154 | Menteng (2) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

Looking south along Jalan Teuku Umar in Menteng. On the left is the attractive building of the Batavia Kunstkring (Arts Circle) that was completed in 1914 as a centre for the promotion of the fine arts in Jakarta. Many exhibitions of books and paintings were held there as well as concerts and public lectures.

After independence, this building was used by the immigration department until the late 1990s. It has recently been beautifully renovated and is now a fashionable restaurant.

155 | Menteng (3) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1920

Looking west along Jalan Cut Meutia which used to be known as the entrĂŠe (entrance) to New Gondangdia (the original name for Menteng). In the background behind the trams we can see the office of N.V. de Bouwploeg nearing completion (see also postcard 154). This building is now the Mesjid Cut Meutia (Cut Meutia Mosque). The electric tram service seen here plied the route from the Harmonie Club to the Botanical and Zoological Gardens (via Tanah Abang) and commenced in 1899.

156 | Menteng (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1912

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THE BOTANICAL AND ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS Jakarta’s “Planten en Dierentuin” (Botanical and Zoological Gardens) were established in 1864 on the site of what is now Taman Ismail Marzuki on Jalan Cikini. The land for the gardens was donated by the famous painter, Raden Saleh, whose own uniquely styled mansion was located nearby (postcard 161). The gardens were intended to promote the study of botany, zoology, agriculture and horticulture and also provide a park for the people of Jakarta to enjoy a wide range of recreational activities.

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157 | The Botanical and Zoological Gardens (1) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

A view of the main entrance to the concert hall of the Botanical and Zoological Gardens surrounded by the spacious and beautiful grounds. A lake is on the left with a fountain in the centre. A wider view of the concert hall can be seen in the postcard above. Balls, dances, charity events, selections from operas as well as concerts of popular music, including waltzes and polkas by Strauss and Weber, were often presented at the concert hall. Sadly this attractive building has long since been demolished.

158 | The Botanical and Zoological Gardens (2) | Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

The Botanical and Zoological Gardens were the scene of many important events in Jakarta’s history including the Colonial Exhibition of 1893, the silver jubilee of the reign of Queen Wilhelmina in 1923, as well as receptions to welcome returning soldiers from colonial military campaigns, including Aceh in 1874 and Lombok in 1894. Here there is an occasion of great formality with schoolgirls on the left in their best long dresses and hats as well as finely attired ladies and gentlemen on the right.

159 | The Botanical and Zoological Gardens (3) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905 107

Over the decades the Botanical and Zoological Gardens offered numerous sporting activities including football, cycling and tennis and there was also a popular cinema for a while. But the zoological aspect had fallen into decline by the 1890s with few animals remaining and it wouldn’t be until the 1930s that this situation improved with the reopening of the zoo. Later, with the creation of Taman Ismail Marzuki on this site in the late 1960s, Jakarta’s zoo was relocated to its present home at Ragunan.

160 | The Botanical and Zoological Gardens (4) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

THE PGI CIKINI HOSPITAL Built in 1852 by Indonesia’s most famous 19th century artist, Raden Saleh (1814?-1880), this unique and beautiful home still exists today as one of the more extraordinary reminders of 19th century Jakarta and of the greatly talented man who built it. However, by the time this photograph was taken, the home had become part of the grounds of the Queen Emma Hospital that was established on 12 January 1898 and devoted to church-funded medical services, especially for the underprivileged.

Today it is known as the PGI Cikini Hospital.

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161 | The PGI Cikini Hospital (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

The founder of the PGI Cikini Hospital was Adriana Josina de Graaf-Kooman, the wife of a Dutch missionary. During the late 1880s, Mrs. de Graaf-Kooman worked with sick women and single mothers in Depok, just south of Jakarta.

Upon her return to Holland in the mid-1890s, she launched an association to provide churchfunded medical services in Indonesia. Here on the hospital’s interior wall we can see “Soli Deo Gloria”, a pillar of the Protestant Reformation which means “Glory to God Alone.”

162 | The PGI Cikini Hospital (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

Several nurses from the outpatients department at the PGI Cikini Hospital pose here with a large group of Indonesian patients including many small children. The hospital’s founders believed it had the mission to “to take care of the sick from all levels of society…under the trained and loving care of women to ease the suffering of a patient…”. Indeed, this was an enlightened mission at a time when modern medicine was not readily available, and especially not to the non-European segments of Indonesian society.

163 | The PGI Cikini Hospital (3) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 17 February 1913

Here medical staff at the PGI Cikini Hospital are tending to two rows of Indonesian patients at a free-of-charge charity ward early in the 20th century. Since its establishment in 1898, the PGI Cikini Hospital has made the provision of heavily subsidized or free medical care to low income earners a central pillar of its philosophy.

At its centenary in 1998, 38% of the PGI Cikini Hospital’s 324 beds were allocated to the less fortunate in society, considerably higher than the 25% mandated by law.

164 | The PGI Cikini Hospital (4) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

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PASAR SENEN Looking south along Jalan Pasar Senen with Jalan Gunung Sahari behind us. The market at Pasar Senen dates back to 1735 when it was established by prominent landowner Justinus Vinck, who was initially granted permission to open his market only on Mondays (hence the name “Pasar Senen” or “Monday Market”). In 1766, it was allowed to open every day but in 1813 was limited to just Sundays and Tuesdays.

The tram lines are for the electric tram service that commenced here in April 1900.

165 | Pasar Senen (1) | Publisher: J. C. Blomme | Circa: 1910 110

Looking south along Jalan Senen Raya.

Shopkeepers at Pasar Senen were predominantly Chinese which is very evident here with signs advertising the names of Tan Hoe Lo & Co., Tian Ho & Co., Gouw Sam Boen & Co. and Tian Boen & Co. None of the buildings seen here still exist, except for the shophouse in the distance on the right with the twin pointed turrets that was fortunately saved when this area was developed into the Plaza Atrium Senen shopping centre, hotel and office tower project in the early 1990s.

166 | Pasar Senen (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1920

AROUND PASAR SENEN Here we are looking west along Jalan Kwitang from the corner of Jalan Kramat Raya. Pasar Senen and the junction of Jalan Senen Raya and Jalan Pasar Senen is behind us. The little hut on the right is an ijs depot (ice depot) and beside it is the river which in those days still ran between Jalan Kwitang and Jalan Prapatan to the old Kramat Bridge. The Chinese-style shop on the left would eventually be replaced by the famous Kramat Apotheek (Kramat Pharmacy) building which can be seen in postcard 328.

167 | Jalan Kwitang | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Postmarked: 6 May 1902

A view from the northern side of Jalan Kramat Bunder looking across at the Kramat Bridge, which until the early 1900s crossed over a small river that flowed between Jalan Kwitang (postcard above) and Jalan Prapatan through to Jalan Kramat Bunder. However, around the 1920s, the Kramat Bridge was demolished and the river filled in for road-widening purposes to enable a more efficient flow of traffic from Jalan Gunung Sahari and Jalan Pasar Senen through to Jalan Kramat Raya.

168 | The Kramat Bridge | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

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JALAN SALEMBA RAYA

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169 | Jalan Salemba Raya (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. Circa: 1910

170 | Jalan Salemba Raya (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. Circa: 1905

In this tranquil scene, we are looking south along Jalan Salemba Raya in the direction of Jatinegara and then on to Bogor. Early in the 20th century, Jalan Salemba Raya still had a countrified feel. It was a popular residential area for prosperous Europeans who lived in spacious homes set well back from the street on large plots of land. Some of Jakarta’s first schools were opened on Jalan Salemba Raya including the King Willem III School for boys (postcard 193) and the Salemba Institute for girls (postcard 196).

In his post-colonial novel Faded Portraits, E. Breton de Nijs (Rob Nieuwenhuys) evocatively describes early 20th century Salemba, “I cannot imagine Aunt Sophie except belonging to this family home, the house at Salemba. It was set well back from the road, on the side where there was a double row of kenari trees. Between these tall trees ran the tram lines. The tram – the unforgettable old steam tram! – drove through the corridor, ringing its bell, as if through a tunnel of green. There was something endearingly rural about it.”

OPIUM In the 19th century, opium was a major source of revenue for the colonial government, which sold monopoly concessions for specific territories in Java to the highest bidders. These were usually Chinese merchants who often became very wealthy from this endeavour. But in the early 1890s, the government ended the concession system and took back control of opium processing and distribution. In 1901, it built this opium factory on Jalan Salemba Raya, which by 1905 employed 630 Indonesian workers.

171 | The Opium Factory | Publisher: Loa Po Seng & Co. | Circa: 1905

Opium smoking was widespread in Java during the second half of the 19th century and was popular with Javanese and Chinese men of all social classes. The wealthy would smoke potent candu (opium mixes) and sometimes raw opium, while the poor could still enjoy heavily adulterated candu which contained only a tiny amount of opium. The sadly emaciated opium smoker seen here would appear to be in one of the opium dens that were common throughout Java, often in the vicinity of brothels.

172 | An Opium Smoker | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

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JATINEGARA Jatinegara was formerly known as Meester Cornelis and has a long history. The area was named after Mr. Cornelis Senen, who was granted land in the area in 1661. For almost three hundred years, Jatinegara was the southernmost district of Jakarta until the development of Kebayoran Baru began in the late 1940s. Here we are looking southeast towards the Jatinegara market with Jalan Jatinegara Barat on the right. This is still a busy market today and the double-storey Chinese shophouse just right of centre still exists.

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173 | Jatinegara (1) | Publisher: Trense & Hesselmann | Circa: 1905

Looking south towards Jalan Matraman Raya on the left and Jalan Jatinegara Barat on the right. In the centre is the Bethel Kerk (Bethel Church) which was built around 1915 and is today known as Gereja Koinonia (Koinonia Church). Jatinegara was the southernmost station for the steam tram service and the tram lines on the far left reached their terminus a little further along from here. This tranquil view contrasts strikingly with the heavy traffic congestion typical in this area today.

174 | Jatinegara (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1920

Jatinegara was Jakarta’s main military camp in the 18th and early 19th centuries after which it began to be rivalled by the building of barracks and officers’ housing around Lapangan Banteng from the early 1800s (postcards 141152). After independence, the Indonesian army took over the colonial military facilities in Jatinegara, and Jalan Matraman Raya still has a strong military presence today. This military school was opened on the eastern side of Jalan Matraman Raya in 1857 but no longer exists.

175 | Jatinegara (3) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 115

Here we see newly-built housing for army officers in Jatinegara, possibly on the western side of Jalan Matraman Raya. The hand-drawn cross above house on the left was presumably made by the officer living there to show loved ones or friends where he was staying. It was in Jatinegara in August 1811 that British troops defeated the combined French-Dutch forces and ushered in the five year British interregnum on Java from 1811-1816 under LieutenantGovernor Thomas Stamford Raffles.

176 | Jatinegara (4) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

TANAH ABANG Tanah Abang has a long history. As early as the 1640s, it was an important source of timber and agricultural produce for the young VOC port city of Batavia (Jakarta) to the north. In 1735, the Tanah Abang market was opened by a wealthy landowner, Justinus Vinck, who also established the Pasar Senen market (postcards 165-166) in the same year. Here we are looking northeast from Tanah Abang Heuvel (Tanah Abang Hill) along Jalan Fachrudin. In modern terms, the Djajanti Plaza building would be just to the right of the electric tram.

177 | Tanah Abang (1) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Postmarked: 17 April 1910 116

Looking south along the Tanah Abang canal with Jalan Tanah Abang Timur on the left and Jalan Abdul Muis on the right. This canal flowed into the canal running between Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk which during the VOC era (1619-1799) allowed timber and produce to be transported to Kota and Sunda Kelapa in the north. It was clearly still being used by small boats in the early 1900s as we can see here. By the second half of the 19th century, this part of Tanah Abang had become an elite residential area for Europeans.

178 | Tanah Abang (2) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

AROUND CENTRAL JAKARTA The origins of Jalan Kebon Sirih date back to the 1830s when Governor-General Johannes van den Bosch (governor-general 1830-33) had this road built between Tanah Abang and Prapatan as part of what came to be known as the “van den Bosch defence line� (see also postcard 144) intended as a military fortification to protect the southern districts of Jakarta. By the early 1850s, Jalan Kebon Sirih had become a residential district for Europeans and was popular for its tranquil ambience and tree-lined thoroughfare.

179 | Jalan Kebon Sirih | Publisher: J. C. Blomme | Circa: 1910

Looking west along Jalan Budi Kemuliaan (previously Gang Scott) in the direction of Tanah Abang from the corner of Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat and Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan. The colonial building on the right was used as a hotel for many years, under the name Hotel Benvenuto in the 1950s and then as Hotel Monas until at least the 1970s. The head office of PT Indosat is now located on that site. The land on the left has been occupied by the large Bank Indonesia complex since the 1960s.

180 | Jalan Budi Kemuliaan | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1908

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19 TH CENTURY ELITE EUROPEAN LIVING During much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, wealthy Europeans lived in grand homes with large gardens in the most exclusive parts of Jakarta around Medan Merdeka, Prapatan, Salemba and Jalan Budi Kemuliaan. These homes were built in so-called “Indies” style with tall classical columns, high ceilings and broad galleries at the front and rear connected by a wide hallway with bedrooms on either side. Very few of these homes still survive but some of the best examples can be seen along Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan.

181 | The 19th Century European Home (1) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1909 118

This postcard, which is captioned on the rear “European Home Life” in Jakarta, portrays an idyllic image of the privileged lifestyle of the elite Europeans who lived in the grand mansions such as the one above. The seated European man is attended by his indigenous servant and surrounded by a lush tropical garden. But there appears to be a painted backdrop so the whole scene seems slightly contrived. Nevertheless, recipients of this postcard back in Europe would have been duly impressed.

182 | The 19th Century European Home (2) | Publisher: The Hotel des Indes | Circa: 1910

EARLY 20 TH CENTURY MODERN HOMES AROUND MEDAN MERDEKA In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the European population of Jakarta increased rapidly and homes had to be built for them.

But many of the new arrivals were company employees and civil servants rather than wealthy merchants and so the grand “Indies”style mansion (postcard 181) gave way to modern homes on smaller plots of land such as these two on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat.

Neither of these homes still exist. The one on the left was demolished in the 1990s to enable the expansion of the National Museum.

183 | The 20th Century European Home (1) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912 119

Early in the 20th century, a new generation of Dutch-educated architects became influential in Jakarta, bringing with them from Europe new ideas for design and urban planning. From around 1910, modern homes such as these (and in postcard 183) were built near Medan Merdeka as well as in Menteng (postcard 153) and also at Kramat Park. The home here on the right was located on the corner of Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan (not “west” as is mistakenly printed on the postcard) and Jalan Haji Agus Salim. The Danareksa head office now occupies this site.

184 | The 20th Century European Home (2) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912

THE NATIONAL MUSEUM Indonesia’s National Museum building on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat was completed in 1868 as the new home for the collections of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences which was founded in Jakarta on 24 April 1778.

The Society was dedicated to a wide range of scientific pursuits relating to many aspects of Indonesia including history, linguistics, botany, crop cultivation, tropical diseases and geography. It was one of the earliest and most famous learned societies in Asia in the 18th and 19th centuries. See also postcards 338-339.

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185 | The National Museum (1) | Publisher: The Netherlands Indies Publicity Bureau | Circa: 1910

The Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences often enjoyed enthusiastic support from the highest levels of government including Thomas Stamford Raffles when he served as lieutenantgovernor of Java from 1811-1816. In 1813, Raffles became president of the Society and he allocated space at the new Harmonie Club (postcards 74-77) for the Society’s growing library and collections. The Harmonie Club would remain the Society’s home until it moved into this new museum building in 1868.

186 | The National Museum (2) | Publisher: J. C. Blomme | Circa: 1910

The 1840s were a “Golden Age” for the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences under the leadership of Dr. W. R. Baron van Hoevell, who focused the Society’s work on languages, ethnology, history and antiquities with particular emphasis on Javanese and Malay linguistics and the preservation of antiquities (at the exclusion of natural history). Van Hoevell’s approach influenced the Society’s direction for the next century and laid the foundation for the collections in the National Museum today.

187 | The National Museum (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910 121

A view of some of the Indonesian history collections of the National Museum on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat at the beginning of the 20th century. In this hall, the focus is clearly on the VOC era (1619-1799) and includes examples of ornately carved furniture that was typical of the early colonial era and also (on the left) a wooden model of the New Dutch Church which existed on Jalan Kali Besar Timur in the old Kota district of North Jakarta from 17361808 (the site of the current Wayang Museum).

188 | The National Museum (4) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1915

CHURCHES After Daendels moved the administrative capital of Jakarta to the new suburbs in the south from 1808, new churches were also needed to encourage Jakarta’s citizens to move south as well. Jakarta’s first Catholic church (the predecessor to the cathedral in postcard 192) opened in 1829 and the Protestant Emmanuel Church (postcard 191) was completed in 1839.

The Haantjes Kerk (Cockerel Church) seen here, which offered services in Malay (rather than Dutch), was built in 1856 on the corner of Jalan Samanhudi and Jalan Gereja Ayam.

189 | The Old “Gereja Ayam” Church | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 122

In 1914, the first Haantjes Kerk (Cockerel Church) in the postcard above was demolished because it was considered unsafe. However, it was difficult to raise funds to build a replacement until prominent banker, Jan Dinger, made a large donation and also provided a personal guarantee for a loan from the government to complete the new church which was consecrated in 1915 and is still in active use today. The cockerel can be seen at the top of the weather vane on the roof.

190 | The New “Gereja Ayam” Church | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

In 1832, a committee was formed by members of the Reformed and Lutheran congregations in Jakarta to plan the building of a new Protestant church that would serve both congregations in the newly developing southern environs of the city at Weltevreden. Construction of the new church on Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur began in 1835 and was completed in 1839. It was named the Willemskerk after King Willem I of Holland. The church was renamed the Gereja Imanuel (Emmanuel Church) in 1948 and still bears that name today.

191 | The Emmanuel Church | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1910

Catholicism was banned in Indonesia during the VOC era (1619-1799) and it wasn’t until 1807 that the Vatican was first permitted to send a priest to Jakarta. Here we see Jakarta’s Catholic cathedral on the corner of Jalan Kathedral and Jalan Lapangan Banteng Utara which was consecrated in 1901. It is actually the second cathedral on this site. The first was the renovated military commander’s residence that was used from 1829 until 1890 when it was demolished after part of the roof collapsed.

192 | The Catholic Cathedral | Publisher: Possibly Visser & Co. | Dated: 15 November 1906

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SCHOOLS The King Willem III School for boys was opened in 1860 on Jalan Salemba. It was the first secondary school to be established in Indonesia by the Dutch colonial government to address growing complaints about the lack of educational opportunities for boys who couldn’t afford to study in Europe. The school was open to all races but the language of instruction was Dutch which meant the majority of the enrolment was European and Eurasian. The school no longer exists but the building now forms part of the National Library complex.

193 | The King Willem III School | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1910 124

In 1901, the colonial government began establishing a series of vocational schools which offered a three-year program in such subjects as engineering, architecture, mining and navigation. These courses proved to be very popular. One of the schools was the Koningin Wilhelmina School (Queen Wilhelmina School) on Jalan Budi Utomo which was opened in 1906. It still exists today in its original building with the same elegant façade as the State Junior Vocational School Number 1 (SMKN1 – Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan Negara 1).

194 | The Queen Wilhelmina School | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1915

After independence, colonial government schools were taken over by the new Republic of Indonesia and the language of instruction in classrooms changed from Dutch to Bahasa Indonesia. Some of these schools still operate in their original colonial buildings today.

These include the SMP1 (State Junior High School Number 1) seen here and which is still maintained in beautiful condition on Jalan Cikini Raya, the SMA1 (State Senior High School Number 1) on Jalan Budi Utomo as well as the SMKN1 in postcard 194.

195 | The State Junior High School Number 1 | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

The Salemba Institute was opened on 7 April 1893 by the Association of Christian Schools in Jakarta as a Christian boarding and day school for girls aged six to eighteen. It was located on spacious grounds on the southern corner of Jalan Pangeran Diponegoro and Jalan Salemba Raya and offered a kindergarten, a seven-year elementary school, a three-year junior high school and a two-year course in teacher training.

The boarding facilities could accommodate up to 60 young ladies. Neither this school nor the distinctive colonial-style building still exists.

196 | The Salemba Institute | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

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THE CAS SCHOOL FOR GIRLS In 1902, with the closure of the only government secondary school for girls in Jakarta, nonCatholic Dutch speaking parents had only the Catholic Ursuline schools (postcards 201207) for the education of their daughters. This caused considerable concern in a predominantly Protestant community and one parent noted with alarm that “the objection we have is that our children, and our girls of all people, the future mothers of those who will come after us, will be educated there in a direction that is altogether against that of ours.”

197 | The Carpentier Alting Foundation (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 10 July 1906 126

Accordingly, in the same year (1902), the Freemasons, under the leadership of Mr. Carpentier Alting, established a new private boarding and day school for girls on Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur which became known as the Carpentier Alting Foundation (better known by its Dutch acronym CAS). The school offered a six year elementary school, a five year secondary school and a two year course in teacher training. The CAS school existed until the 1950s and the buildings now comprise Indonesia’s National Art Gallery.

198 | The Carpentier Alting Foundation (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

THE BROTHER SCHOOL FOR BOYS Catholic education for girls was already well established in Jakarta by the end of the 19th century with the two Ursuline schools on Jalan Juanda and Jalan Pos (postcards 201-207). But surprisingly the same attention had not been paid to Catholic education for boys. To rectify this situation, the sum of 10,000 guilders was raised and a plot of land acquired near the northern end of Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur upon which the Broeder School (Brother School) for boys was opened in 1906.

199 | The Brother School (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1910

The Brother School began as an elementary school offering a seven-year program in Dutch to Catholic boys, some of whom can be seen here with their teachers in the playground. In the 1920s, fees started at ten guilders per month for the first two years rising to fifteen guilders per month for the last three years. Discounts were available for families with more than one boy at the school. The Brother School was closed in 1977 and the land sold to Indonesia’s national oil company, Pertamina.

200 | The Brother School (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1915

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THE SAINT MARIA SCHOOL In the early 1850s, the Apostolic Vicar of Jakarta, Monsignor Vrancken, invited the Ursuline order of nuns in Holland to establish a presence in Indonesia because of his concern regarding the low priority that the Dutch colonial authorities had given to education. Seven Ursuline sisters were chosen and they arrived in Jakarta in February 1856 with a particular focus on education for girls. This large house on Jalan Juanda became their convent and school and it is still run by the Ursuline order today as the Saint Maria School.

201 | The Saint Maria School (1) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Postmarked: 19 July 1911 128

The educational work of the Ursuline sisters at the Saint Maria School developed quickly. The dormitory received its first three girls on 13 May 1856 and by the end of the same year there were 62 students in the kindergarten and 295 in the primary school. The ornate interior of the front gallery of the school can be seen here. Tragically five of the original seven Ursuline sisters who arrived in Jakarta in 1856 had died by 1863.

One of them was only 23 years old. Cholera and typhus were the main killers.

202 | The Saint Maria School (2) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Postmarked: 30 December 1901

During the final decades of colonial rule, the Saint Maria School was known as the Koningin Emma School (Queen Emma School) after Queen Emma (1858-1934), the second wife of King Willem III and mother of Queen Wilhelmina. It offered a boarding school for Catholic girls and a two-year training course for female teachers. The day school was open for all religions and included a kindergarten for both girls and boys as well as a primary school with a seven-year course for girls and a high school with a three-year course for girls.

203 | The Saint Maria School (3) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920 129

The Saint Maria School also offered courses for young ladies in typing, stenography, bookkeeping, English and sewing (as can be seen here). Also available was training for exams in plain and artistic needlework as well as courses in batik and painting. The Saint Maria School is the oldest surviving school in Jakarta today with a continuous history of more than 150 years of providing education for girls. Its sister school is the Saint Ursula School on Jalan Pos which can be seen in postcards 205-207.

204 | The Saint Maria School (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

THE SAINT URSULA SCHOOL Soon after establishing their first school and convent on Jalan Juanda in 1856 (postcards 201-204), the Ursuline sisters opened a second school and convent on Jalan Pos in 1859 with a focus on providing education to orphans and children from poor families. It was initially known as the Kleine Klooster (Small Convent) to distinguish it from its slightly older sister, the Groote Klooster (Large Convent) on Jalan Juanda. Today it is known as the Sekolah Santa Ursula (Saint Ursula School).

205 | The Saint Ursula School (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905 130

During the final decades of colonial rule, the Saint Ursula School was known as the Prinses Juliana School (Princess Juliana School) after Princess Juliana, later Queen of Holland from 1948 to 1980. The building here is the high school that is located behind the primary school above. In the 1920s, the school advertised that “The education is organised according to the demands of the times. The young ladies are prepared not only to become self-supporting but also to train themselves for what society expects of a cultured lady.�

206 | The Saint Ursula School (2) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

The Saint Ursula School was founded in 1859 in a private home. Extensions were added to the left and right of the home with a double-storey wing on the left and a magnificent chapel on the right which was completed in 1888. These can both be seen in postcard 205, which shows the front of the school as it was around 1905 and it still looks very similar today. The interior of the beautiful chapel can be seen here. The chapel is still in regular use but is less ornate now and the walls are a creamy colour rather than green.

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207 | The Saint Ursula School (3) Publisher: Probably Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

ORPHANAGES A major social issue in late 19th and early 20th century Jakarta was the many Eurasian children who had been abandoned by their European fathers when they returned to Europe. The fathers were often soldiers who were forbidden to marry while serving in the army but who had maintained relationships with indigenous women. Some of the orphaned or fatherless girls were cared for at the Saint Ursula School (postcards 205-207) whereas the Saint Joseph Foundation was opened on Jalan Kwini near Pasar Senen in 1893 to look after the boys.

208 | The Saint Joseph Foundation | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 132

The Vincentius Institution was established in Jakarta in 1855 by Pastor H. van der Grinten to care for orphaned and abandoned children.

In 1910, it acquired a large plot of land at Jalan Kramat Raya No. 134 and by 1915 this fine new orphanage for boys had been completed.

Shortly afterwards, boys from the Saint Joseph Foundation (postcard above) were relocated there. This orphanage still exists in the same building today. A Vincentius orphanage for girls was opened in Jatinegara in 1938.

209 | The Vincentius Institution | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

LODGES The first order of Freemasons in Jakarta was established in 1763 and shortly after there were two lodges, one of which was popular with military men and the other with senior officials of the VOC. In 1837, both lodges merged under the name De Ster in het Oosten (The Star in the East) and in 1858, completed their new temple seen here, on the corner of Jalan Gedung Kesenian and Jalan Budi Utomo. This building still exists today and is now owned by the state-owned pharmaceutical company, Kimia Farma. See also postcard 335.

210 | The Freemasons’ Lodge | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1910

The Theosophy Society was founded in New York in 1875 by Helena Blavatsky and achieved a degree of influence among elite Europeans and Javanese in Indonesia during the 1910s, especially in the debate at the time regarding how the relationship between Holland and Indonesia should develop going forward.

However, their influence had largely waned by 1930. Their Jakarta lodge, seen here, was located on Blavatsky Park near the southern end of Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat where the Sapta Pesona tower now stands.

211 | The Theosophy Society Lodge | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Postmarked: 4 December 1917

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CINEMAS The first public screening of a film (gambar idoep or moving picture) in Jakarta was at a home in Tanah Abang on 5 December 1900 with a short documentary showing the Dutch Queen arriving at The Hague. As the movie industry developed, cinemas began to appear in Jakarta, including the Elite seen here which was located on Jalan Pintu Air and might have been opened as early as 1903. It was partly owned by prominent Pasar Baru retailer and postcard publisher, Tio Tek Hong (see also postcards 119-120, 312, 314 and 347).

212 | The Elite Cinema | Publisher: K. Shimane | Circa: 1915 134

In the early days of the film industry, movies were often shown in theatres rather than in dedicated cinemas. One example was the West Java Bioscope which operated within the Flora Theatre in Pasar Senen and which dated back to at least 1913. On the far left, we can see the side entrance (ingang) for 2nd and 3rd class ticket holders. First class ticket holders (mainly Europeans) presumably entered through the main entrance at the front in class-conscious and racially stratified colonial Jakarta society.

213 | The Flora Theatre | Publisher: K. Shimane | Postmarked: 21 January 1920

Some of the earliest films in Jakarta were shown in the open air on portable screens and were called openlucht bioscoop (open-air cinemas).

One of these, dating back to 1901, was at Deca Park, on the northern side of Medan Merdeka.

Later a proper cinema was built there. In this picture, the movie being shown at Deca Park was Risky Business starring Gladys Walton, which was produced in 1920. The ornate artesian well behind the “Deca Park� sign can be seen more clearly in postcard 226.

214 | Deca Park | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920 135

The Casino Theatre on the right was opened in 1912 and also housed the Centrale Bioscope (Centrale Cinema). It was sometimes known as the Meester Cornelis Cinema because of its location on the western side of Jalan Matraman Raya in the suburb of Meester Cornelis, which since independence has been called Jatinegara.

This theatre is long gone and so are the steam tram lines in the foreground which connected Jatinegara to Pasar Senen. However, the railway bridge on the left still exists today.

215 | The Casino Theatre | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

SPORTS The Netherlands Indies Sports Company was founded in 1897 and operated from this fine building near the southern end of Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat on land that was later home to Jakarta’s Theosophy Society lodge (postcard 211). The company was 80% owned by the prominent trading firm of E. Dunlop & Co. (postcards 24 and 294). Early in the 20th century, Medan Merdeka was the focus of much of Jakarta’s sporting activity including cycling, golf, cricket, tennis and horse racing.

216 | The Netherlands Indies Sports Company (1) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1902 136

The founders of the Netherlands Indies Sports Company had presumably intended to profit from the cycling craze that swept through much of the world during the 1890s. This multi-view postcard shows the bicycle store and repair workshop that were opened at the company’s elegant office on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat and also the cement velodrome that was built behind it. The company was sold in 1908, only eleven years after it had been founded, probably because the cycling craze had already passed.

217 | The Netherlands Indies Sports Company (2) | Publisher: Self-published | Published: April 1901

It appears that even Ernest Douwes Dekker (1879-1950), the prominent Eurasian journalist and early advocate of Indonesian independence, was also caught up in the cycling craze that swept the world in the 1890s. He is seen here at the velodrome on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat that belonged to the Netherlands Indies Sports Company (postcards 216-217). Dekker later changed his name to Danudirja Setiabudi and legend has it that the Setiabudi district in Central Jakarta was named after him.

218 | Ernest Douwes Dekker Cycling in Jakarta | Publisher: F. B. Smits Postmarked: 8 September 1903

Football was the most popular sport in Jakarta in the early years of the 20th century. There were both first and second divisions that attracted corporate sponsorship from local firms. The first division included the VIOS, BVC, Oliveo, Hercules and Sparta teams. The VIOS team had its own field and clubhouse seen here, which was located in Cikini between what are now Jalan Ciasem, Jalan Cidurian, Jalan Cisadane and Jalan Cimandiri. This field no longer exists and private housing has been built there.

219 | The VIOS Football Field | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

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RAILWAY STATIONS On 16 September 1871, Jakarta’s first railway service was opened by the Netherlands Indies Railway Company (best known by its Dutch acronym NIS). With stations in the north near the old Sunda Kelapa port and also behind the old Town Hall at Taman Fatahillah (now the Jakarta History Museum), the line ran south to stations at Sawah Besar (shown in this postcard), Jalan Juanda and then to Gambir (at Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur). By 31 January 1873, the service had been extended to Jatinegara, Pasar Minggu, Depok and through to Bogor.

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220 | Sawah Besar Station | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

Gambir station (at Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur) was the southernmost stop of Jakarta’s first railway line from 1871 until the line was extended to Jatinegara and Bogor in 1873. Here we can see the second Gambir station building that was opened in 1884. It replaced the original building which had been constructed there in 1871. This station was significantly extended in 1917 and then replaced in 1928 by the station in postcard 329, which in turn was replaced by the current Gambir station in 1992.

221 | Gambir Station | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1912

From 1887 to 1918, there were two stations at Jatinegara (Meester Cornelis) because two different railway lines passed through the area. The first station on the NIS (Netherlands Indies Railway Co.) line dated back to 1873 and was replaced in 1907 by the new station, seen here, which was used until 1918. It was made obsolete by the superior location of the Jatinegara station on the BOS (Batavia East Railroad Co.) line on the other side of the Ciliwung River (postcard below) and by the opening of nearby Manggarai station in 1918.

222 | The NIS Jatinegara Station | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912

Jakarta’s second north-to-south railway line (after the NIS line which was opened in 1871) was the BOS (Batavia East Railroad Co.) line.

It was opened in 1887 and ran from the site of the current Jakarta Kota station in the north through to stations at Kemayoran, Pasar Senen and Jatinegara in the south and then on to Bekasi in the east. The Dutch-style BOS station at Jatinegara, seen here, was built in 1910.

Sometimes also morbidly called Rawah Bangke (corpse swamp) station, it was later extended and is still in use today.

223 | The BOS Jatinegara Station | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1915

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THE GAS COMPANY The first gasworks in Jakarta were completed in 1861 to provide gas lighting for Jakarta’s citizens. They were taken over in 1864 by the Netherlands Indies Gas Company. From 1905, the same company also assumed responsibility for electric lighting in Jakarta. This handsome building at the southern end of Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur was built around 1907 as the official residence of the company’s president. It still exists but is now used as an office by the state-owned electricity company, PLN.

224 | The Netherlands Indies Gas Company (1) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920 140

The gasworks of the Netherlands Indies Gas Company were located on Jalan K. H. Zainul Arifin (previously Gang Ketapang). By 1909, they had four storage reservoirs with a total capacity of 16,800 cubic metres. One of the reservoirs can be seen here behind the three girls in long dresses strolling in the foreground. In the same year the company provided gas along 125 kilometres of pipes to 1,700 street lamps and 3,590 private customers. The gasworks still exist on the same site today under the control of state-owned gas company, PGN. 225 | The Netherlands Indies Gas Company (2) | Publisher: K. Shimane | Circa: 1915

DRINKING WATER Finding clean drinking water has always been a problem in Jakarta. Even early in the 20th century, diseases caused by poor water quality such as cholera and typhoid were still common and caused great alarm among the population.

One remedy pursued by the government in the 1870s was the digging of artesian wells, including the one seen here on the northern side of Medan Merdeka. The largest wells were usually built in an ornate and artistic manner which also made them striking landmarks.

226 | Artesian Wells for Drinking Water (1) | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1905

This decorative old artesian well at Prapatan was located very near to where the Tugu Tani heroes statue stands today and dated back to the 1870s. In 1909, a rather optimistic observer noted that “Batavia (Jakarta) is fortunate in having an excellent water supply, all the drinking water being obtained from artesian wells, and although there are occasional cases of typhoid attributed to the water, it may be said with truth that it is sufficiently pure to satisfy all but the faddists.” – a comment that would seem somewhat rosy even a century later.

227 | Artesian Wells for Drinking Water (2) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

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TELEPHONE EXCHANGES The first telegraph line in Indonesia was opened between Jakarta and Bogor in 1856.

The first telephone service was introduced in 1882, and was initially privately owned but was later taken over by the colonial government.

The first telephone exchange in Kota, Jakarta’s old business district in the north, was probably the one seen here. It was located just beyond the southern end of Jalan Kali Besar Barat in between Jalan Malaka and the aptly named Jalan Telepon Kota (City Telephone Street).

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228 | The Telephone Service (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

Around 1910, a new and larger telephone exchange, seen here, was built beside its predecessor on Jalan Malaka (postcard above) and this building is still used today by the stateowned telephone company, PT Telkom. This was called the Batavia exchange and phone numbers there began with the prefix “Bt”.

For example, in 1936, the phone number of the prominent trading firm, E. Dunlop & Co. (postcard 24) was “Bt 634”. The first exchange building in the postcard above (also visible here on the far left) was demolished long ago.

229 | The Telephone Service (2) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1912

The first telephone exchange in Jakarta’s southern suburbs was located on the northern side of Medan Merdeka and was built in the 1880s. This was called the Weltevreden exchange and phone numbers in this area began with the prefix “Wl”. For example, in 1936, the phone numbers of the Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73 and 280-283) were “Wl 1468” through to “Wl 1473”. The Batavia and Weltevreden exchanges were the largest in Jakarta but there were also smaller exchanges at Tanjung Priok, Jatinegara and Palmerah.

230 | The Telephone Service (3) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910 143

In 1909, a new and much larger Weltevreden telephone exchange was built at the northern end of Medan Merdeka to replace its tiny predecessor (postcard above). This was then expanded in 1915, 1924 and 1928. It was the largest exchange in Jakarta with just under 6,300 telephone numbers in 1936 compared to only 2,000 numbers at the Batavia exchange in the north (postcard 229), no doubt indicative of the rapid growth of Jakarta’s southern residential suburbs at Weltevreden in the early decades of the 20th century.

231 | The Telephone Service (4) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1920

HOTELS The Hotel du Lion d’Or is the oldest hotel in Jakarta still operating today in its original building, although it has had several name changes during a history spanning almost 140 years. Located on the corner of Jalan Veteran and Jalan Veteran I, it was the Hotel Cavadino in the early 1870s. By 1899, it had become the Hotel du Lion d’Or that we can see here. By 1936, it was the Park Hotel and by 1948, it had become the Hotel Centraal (Central Hotel) before eventually becoming the two-star Hotel Sriwijaya which it is today.

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232 | The Hotel du Lion d’Or | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

The Hotel Wisse was located on the corner of Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Juanda in close proximity to the main European shopping districts of Jalan Majapahit, Jalan Juanda and Jalan Veteran. Originally built as a large private home, it was already the Hotel Ernst by the 1860s and became the Hotel Wisse around 1890.

It was demolished in 1920 and the Hotel des Galeries (postcards 296-297) was built on the same site. The sender of this postcard happily wrote “XX = mijne kamer” (“XX = my room”) for the benefit of the recipient.

233 | The Hotel Wisse | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Postmarked: 22 April 1905

The Hotel Astor was located at Jalan Gunung Sahari No. 60 and its proprietor was J. F. Behre when this postcard was published around 1920.

With only thirty rooms, the Hotel Astor was among the smaller of Jakarta’s second class hotels and perhaps appealed to travellers seeking something cosier than one of the city’s grander establishments. It also respected the afternoon “siesta” time of its staff and guests because the hotel’s office advised that phone calls would not be received between 2pm and 4pm.

234 | The Hotel Astor | Publisher: The Hotel Astor | Circa: 1920

The Hotel Koningsplein was built around 1918 by the State Railways on a spacious one hectare site on the western side of Medan Merdeka.

It had 135 rooms and 14 three-room pavilions for families and would have been conveniently located for railway passengers passing through nearby Gambir station (postcard 221). In 1925, it was noted of this hotel that “The winds blowing across the plain (i.e. Medan Merdeka) give it a coolness not otherwise possible;” and “its quietude is a greatly appreciated feature…”.

235 | The Hotel Koningsplein | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1920

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HOTELS ( CONTINUED ) The 43-room Hotel Villa Park was located on Jalan Budi Kemuliaan between Medan Merdeka and Tanah Abang and described itself as het billijkste Hotel te Weltevreden (The Most Moderately Priced Hotel in Weltevreden). In 1930, the daily rate at this hotel for a single room was six guilders and for a double room it was twelve guilders. These were the same rates as at the Hotel Astor (postcard 234) but the Hotel Villa Park was perhaps still true to its advertised claim because it offered a superior more central location for the same price.

236 | The Hotel Villa Park | Publisher: The Hotel Villa Park | Circa: 1920 146

The modest Hotel Pension Burghgraef was located on the corner of Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan K. H. Hasyim Ashari. It therefore had the somewhat unenviable distinction of being the northern neighbour of the Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73) which was Jakarta’s grandest and most famous hotel during the first half of the 20th century. But, undaunted by its location, the Hotel Pension Burghgraef proudly noted on this postcard that it was naast Hotel des Indes (beside the Hotel des Indes).

237 | The Hotel Pension Burghgraef | Publisher: The Hotel Pension Burghgraef | Circa: 1905

The Hotel Ort was located on Jalan Gajah Mada near the corner of Jalan Pembangunan II. It was owned by an Englishman of the same name and existed from the 1880s until around 1911. Like many of Jakarta’s second class hotels, the Hotel Ort was a private home that had been converted into a hotel. Typically in such establishments, two parallel wings were constructed in the spacious backyards and then divided into rooms that opened on to long galleries. The rooms were usually white plastered and sparsely furnished.

238 | The Hotel Ort | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

The Hotel Molenvliet, owned by F. A. Meertens, was located on the corner of Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan K. H. Zainul Arifin. The Gajah Mada Plaza shopping centre and office tower now occupy this site. In Jakarta’s small hotels of this era guests often ate their meals together at a long table in a rear gallery, while in the evenings it was customary for them to gather at the hotel’s “gin table” or “gossip table” to become acquainted with each other and also with the scandals and gossip of the day over a glass of jenever (Dutch gin).

239 | The Hotel Molenvliet | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

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CHAPTER THREE 1920 to 1950 – The End of the Colonial Era

354 357

T

he 1920s began in Jakarta with the same buoyant economy and optimism for the future that had prevailed throughout the first two decades of the century.

Exports were healthy and there was ample new investment both from foreign and domestic sources. However, the good times reached their peak in 1925 at which point the economy entered a gradual decline through to the onset of the Great Depression at the end of 1929. The years 1931-35 were particularly bleak for Indonesia as it suffered from the worst effects of the depression. Exports in 1931 were less than half the level of 1928 and wouldn’t bottom out until 1935. Lower spending power and a collapse of investment saw imports in 1935 reach only a quarter of 1929 levels. Foreign investment was almost zero from 1931-35 and recovered to only a trickle during the second half of the decade.

If the 1930s were bad, the 1940s were much worse. The Japanese occupation from March 1942 until August 1945 was especially brutal. Food shortages were common as basic necessities were diverted to support the Japanese war effort. Random violence and forced labour added to the misery of the Indonesian population at the hands of the Japanese even if Jakarta suffered relatively less than in rural areas. It was a daily battle to survive.

Indonesian independence was declared by President Sukarno on 17 August 1945 but the Dutch wouldn’t accept the loss of their colony and a four-year guerilla war ensued as the Dutch used military force to try and reestablish their authority. This included the two so-called “police actions” of July 1947 and December 1948 that were essentially Dutch military campaigns against the newly independent nation. The consequences for Jakarta were severe. Apart from the chaos and bloodshed, there were also critical shortages of food, fuel and clothing caused by blockades of the city by pro-independence forces who controlled the countryside. They were targeting the Dutch but the Indonesian population of Jakarta also suffered terribly (see postcard 360). It wouldn’t be until 27 December 1949 that Indonesian sovereignty finally gained international recognition.

The physical development of Jakarta during the period 1920-50 closely mirrored the wider economic and political backdrop. The 1920s witnessed something of a building boom reflecting the underlying prosperity that prevailed during much of the decade.

Not on maps: 275, 342-343 and 345

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At the forefront of the growth, the banking and insurance industries proudly commissioned some of Jakarta’s most impressive new structures. The first stone for the imposing office of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China (postcards 252 and 254) was laid in February 1921. The Arnhem Life Insurance Company premises were completed in 1922 (postcard 303) and described in 1925 as “one of the finest business structures in Batavia”. The Postal Savings Bank acquired the Eigen Hulp building in 1927 (postcard 286) and by 1930 had remodeled its façade (postcard 287). The grand new Jakarta office of the Netherlands Trading Company (now the Bank Mandiri Museum) was built between 1929 and 1933 (postcard 247).

Confidence in the future during the 1920s was also reflected in Jakarta’s luxury hotels.

The Hotel der Nederlanden was extensively refurbished in 1922 (postcards 304-307).

The new main building of the famous Hotel des Indes complete with dining room and ballroom (postcards 280 and 282-283) was designed in 1928 and officially opened in May 1930 amid great fanfare and excitement. It was to be one of Jakarta’s most recognizable landmarks until it was sadly demolished in the early 1970s. Across the road from the Hotel des Indes, the Hotel des Galeries (postcards 296-297) was built in 1930 but would forever live in the shadows of its more famous neighbour.

The ANETA news agency office in Pasar Baru was built in 1920 and expanded in 1930 (postcards 317-318). The new “Adhuc Stat” Freemasons’ Lodge in Menteng was completed in 1925 (postcard 335). There was even time to honour a Dutch colonial hero, General J. B. van Heutsz, known as the “pacifier” of Indonesia, with the van Heutsz monument in Menteng in 1932, following a design process that began in the mid-1920s (postcard 333). It would naturally be torn down after independence.

Transportation services were also upgraded. The new Tanjung Priok railway station was officially opened in 1925 (postcard 359), the new Gambir station was completed in 1928 (postcard 329) followed by the Jakarta Kota station in 1929 (postcard 246). From 31 July 1930, the steam tram and electric tram companies in Jakarta were merged into a single entity and the stream trams were then phased out by 30 September 1933. Jakarta’s popular electric tram service would survive until 1962.

In essence, the face of Jakarta underwent a transformation between 1920 and the early 1930s. But such was the economic malaise of the 1930s and the trauma of the 1940s, that the physical landscape of the city would barely change again until the 1950s.

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THE OLD PORT OF SUNDA KELAPA Looking from the southern end of Pasar Ikan (fish market) towards the old Culemborg Tower around a quarter of a century after the view we can see in postcard 3. The importance of the old port of Sunda Kelapa and also this tower was eclipsed by the completion of the new port at Tanjung Priok in 1886. From 1926 until 1967, the Culemborg Tower served as the harbour master’s office. In 1976, renovation work on the tower commenced and it was reopened as a tourist attraction on 7 July 1977.

240 | Sunda Kelapa and Pasar Ikan (1) | Publisher: Kasima | Circa: 1935 152

A view from the eastern bank of the old port of Sunda Kelapa. Left of centre in the distance is the Culemborg Tower (postcards 3, 4 and 240 above). On the right is the new Pasar Ikan (fish market) building from around the 1920s which replaced its predecessor on the same site that can be seen in postcards 1, 2 and 5. Since the completion of the new port of Tanjung Priok in 1886, Sunda Kelapa has mainly served domestic inter-island shipping such as the vessel and its crew on the left-hand side.

241 | Sunda Kelapa and Pasar Ikan (2) | Publisher: Kasima | Postmarked: 8 July 1938

A timeless view of Pasar Ikan (fish market) at the old port of Sunda Kelapa. A wider view of this building can be seen on the right hand side of postcard 241. Two local beauties in the centre with their batik sarongs and umbrellas point to fish they wish to either inspect or purchase.

This is a scene that has changed little in the past eighty years and is still repeated throughout Indonesia on a daily basis although perhaps the batik sarong for women and the peci hat for men are less common now.

242 | Sunda Kelapa and Pasar Ikan (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1937 153

Looking north from the top of the Culemborg Tower (postcards 3, 4, 240 and 241) towards the old Westside Warehouses of the VOC on the left, the oldest of which dates back to the 1650s (see also postcard 6). After independence, the warehouses were used as a telecommunications office. However, in 1972, at the initiative of the then Jakarta governor, Ali Sadikin, they were given protected building status and following renovations were reopened as the Museum Bahari (Maritime Museum) in 1977.

243 | Sunda Kelapa and Pasar Ikan (4) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: Late 1940s

THE OLD BUSINESS DISTRICT An aerial view of the Kali Besar district with the Kali Besar canal running diagonally through the centre of this postcard. This area was Jakarta’s central business and banking district for more than three hundred years from the earliest years of the VOC era (1619-1799) until the 1970s and 1980s when offices were gradually relocated south to Jalan Thamrin and Jalan Jendral Sudirman. Prominent in the lower centre of this image is the Java Bank building (postcard 15) before its façade was remodelled (postcard 245 below).

244 | Aerial View of Kali Besar | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: Late 1920s 154

The beautiful Java Bank building on the corner of Jalan Bank and Jalan Pintu Besar Utara, which is now the Bank Indonesia Museum, was built in several stages between 1908 and 1937.

Stage one was completed in 1912 and can be seen in postcard 15. Extensions at the rear were undertaken in 1922 and 1924. A new wing was added on the southern side in 1933 but it was felt that it gave the whole building a slightly incongruous look and thus an entirely new façade, seen here, was completed in 1937.

245 | The Remodelled Java Bank Building | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Late 1930s

By 1913, the State Railways had taken over all of the railway services in Jakarta and at that point there were two stations in Jakarta’s old downtown Kota district. These were the South Batavia station (postcard 27) and the North Batavia station that was located behind the old Town Hall (postcard 12). It was decided to replace both with a single new station on the same site as South Batavia and in October 1929, the elegant Jakarta Kota station – designed by Frans Ghijsels – was officially opened. It is still the main railway station in Kota today.

246 | Jakarta Kota Railway Station | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: Late 1940s

The Netherlands Trading Company (better known by its Dutch acronym NHM) was founded by King Willem I of Holland in 1824 to rebuild Dutch international trade and shipping after the European wars of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The NHM also diversified into banking in 1882. Their new head office in Jakarta on the corner of Jalan Asemka and Jalan Pintu Besar Utara, seen here, was built between 1929 and 1933 and is now the Bank Mandiri Museum. See also postcards 88 and 89.

247 | The Netherlands Trading Company | Publisher: Foto Rivai | Circa: 1935

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AROUND TAMAN FATAHILLAH A similar view to postcard 12 but from a quarter of a century later. By this time the old Town Hall on Taman Fatahillah had become the office of the governor of West Java. Since 1974, it has been used as the popular Jakarta History Museum. On 1 October 1933, the electric tram service number 1 (on the right) replaced the old steam trams that had run the Amsterdam Gate to Kramat (via Harmonie Plain) route for more than half a century. From 1 March 1934, the same service was extended to Jatinegara (then known as Meester Cornelis).

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248 | The Office of the Governor of West Java | Publisher: Possibly Kasima Dated: 27 February 1936

Looking north from the old Town Hall (postcards 12 and 248) across Taman Fatahillah and along Jalan Cengkeh with the Amsterdam Gate (postcards 9, 10, 11 and 256) just visible in the distance. The tall building on the left dates to around 1920 and housed the offices of the Netherlands Lloyd insurance company (but is now empty and its roof partly collapsed in 2011). On the right is the Taman Fatahillah post office which was built in 1928. A steam tram is heading into Taman Fatahillah in the direction of Jalan Gajah Mada.

249 | Looking North Across Taman Fatahillah | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

The fine 19th century building on the left is located on the northwest corner of Taman Fatahillah and has been home of the famous Café Batavia since 1993. For several years from around 1884, its ground floor was occupied by the wholesale business of the leading trading firm, E. Dunlop & Co. (postcards 24 and 294).

In the 1920s and 1930s, it housed the offices of “Kongsi Tiga – Kantor Kapal Hadji” which arranged Muslim pilgrimages by steamship to the Middle East. In 1991, the Café Betawi and the Paulo Gallery were located there.

250 | Café Batavia (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Mid-1920s 157

In 1992-93, an Australian, Graham James, undertook a magnificent restoration of the building, seen again here on the right, to create the popular Café Batavia, which combines the ambience of a sophisticated bar and restaurant from the 1930s with the classical elegance of 19th century colonial architecture. Here we are looking north along Jalan Pintu Besar Utara in the direction of Jalan Teh (Tea Street) with tram lines in the foreground. The distinctly Dutchstyle building on the left dates from 1912 and has housed the Wayang Museum since 1975.

251 | Café Batavia (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Late 1920s

KALI BESAR Some of the major international but non-Dutch banks operating in late colonial Jakarta were located at the southern end of Jalan Kali Besar Barat. Here on the far left is the Chartered Bank of India, Australia & China, which was a forerunner of today’s Standard Chartered Bank. Beside it is the National City Bank of New York which opened its Jakarta office in 1918 and is now better known as Citibank. On the far right is the Hongkong Bank building which can be seen more clearly in postcard 20.

252 | Jakarta’s Old Banking District | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930 158

Looking across the canal from Jalan Kali Besar Barat towards the southern end of Jalan Kali Besar Timur. To the right of the trees are the 19th century premises of the Java-China-Japan Line, a Dutch shipping company that plied the Java-China and Java-Japan routes from 19021947. This building no longer exists. Beside it is the four-storey office of the Batavia Sea & Fire Insurance Co., which was founded in Jakarta in 1843. This building still stands and is owned by state-owned insurance company, Jasa Raharja.

253 | Jalan Kali Besar Timur | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

Looking north towards the corner of Jalan Malaka and Jalan Kali Besar Barat with the premises of the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China on the left. The first stone for this building was laid in February 1921. It is now abandoned but contains some magnificent stained glass depicting scenes from Indonesian agriculture. The lively street activity here belies the fact that the economy was about to be devastated by the impact of the Great Depression with the worst years for Indonesia being from 1931 until 1935.

254 | Jalan Kali Besar Barat (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930 159

Looking south along Jalan Kali Besar Barat from the corner of Jalan Kopi. The car is about to cross over the Kali Besar canal on the same bridge we can see in postcards 16 and 17.

This photograph would have been taken only minutes before or after the one above with the photographer wanting to capture this stretch of Jalan Kali Besar Barat from both ends. The old 19th century commercial premises on the right are also prominent in postcard 16 and are still in use today but are in poor condition.

255 | Jalan Kali Besar Barat (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

REMINDERS OF THE VOC ERA The 18th century Amsterdam Gate on Jalan Cengkeh, with its statues of Mars and Minerva, was once a grand entrance to the plain in front of the old VOC castle near Sunda Kelapa. The castle was demolished around 1808 but this gate somehow managed to survive. However, by the 20th century it had mainly become a traffic hazard. Cars could still go through it as we can see here but tram lines had to go around it. The Amsterdam Gate was demolished in December 1950. See also postcards 9, 10 and 11.

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256 | The Amsterdam Gate | Publisher: Helmig & Co. | Circa: 1925 (but dated 21 January 1935)

Mangga Dua is now best known as a popular street lined with discount shopping centres comprising thousands of small kiosks and stalls that began to develop in the late 1980s and early 1990s. However, during the colonial era, Mangga Dua was the name of a sparsely populated district rather than a street. There was also a Mangga Dua goot (goot being Dutch for gutter or drain and now got in Indonesian) which is possibly the view here as there are no other canals or small rivers in the area.

257 | Mangga Dua | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 2 August 1933

When living in the VOC’s old walled city became extremely unhealthy from the 1730s, some of Jakarta’s wealthiest citizens moved south to build grand residences outside the walls. Only one such mansion still survives and it is the beautiful Gedung Arsip on Jalan Gajah Mada. Built by Reinier de Klerk (governorgeneral 1777-80) in 1760, it later housed the Mines Department and then the National Archives before being superbly restored with Dutch funding to mark the 50th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence in 1995.

258 | Gedung Arsip | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930 161

The grisly skull-topped monument to the alleged traitor Pieter Erberveld, who was executed on 22 April 1722, stood for more than two centuries near the southern end of Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta. It was removed during the Japanese occupation (1942-45) but a replica was put in its place in 1970. The original (minus the skull) is now at the Jakarta History Museum on Taman Fatahillah and the replica (with a stone skull) is at the Taman Prasasti cemetery in Tanah Abang. See also postcard 48.

259 | The Pieter Erberveld Monument | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

CHINATOWN AT GLODOK A view of Glodok with cars (possibly taxis) parked on Glodok Plain and an electric tram speeding by in the direction of Taman Fatahillah. From left to right along what is now Jalan Pasar Glodok Selatan there is the toko obat (pharmacy) of Tay Ho Tong (part of which still survives today although in poor condition), the Beng Hiong restaurant, a coffee shop that also sold cigars and cigarettes, the Hotel Tjong Hin (or Tjoeng Hin), the Tay An Hoo pharmacy, the Ping Ping & Co. boutique and the Min Sing firm of glass engravers.

260 | Glodok | Publisher: Unknown | Dated: 31 May 1939 162

A view looking north from Jalan Pancoran over the old Pasar Glodok (Glodok Market) which was built around 1920. Jalan Pancoran runs diagonally to the left where it connects with Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan. Naturally many Chinese retailers are trading here including Soen Tjoei Po, Soen Ie Kheng, Toko Liong and Toko Bin Hin. This market was replaced, probably in the 1960s, by the multistorey Glodok Building and City Hotel that was destroyed during the 1998 riots. The new Pasar Glodok building now stands on this site.

261 | Glodok Market | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Early 1930s

Looking west towards Jalan Pancoran which is still one of the busiest and most important commercial streets in Glodok today and is perhaps best known for its numerous pharmacies that offer both traditional Chinese as well as modern medicines. One of these was the Apotheek Chung Hwa on the right (founded in 1928) with the prominently displayed Bayer and Aspirin signs. This building still exists today although with different occupants. Note the variety of transportation options with the horse-drawn cart, the car and the bicycle.

262 | Entrance to Jalan Pancoran (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930 163

Looking west towards the eastern entrance of Jalan Pancoran. On the left is part of the old Pasar Glodok on the same site where its multi-storey successor now stands today. The Apotheek Chung Hwa from the postcard above is on the far right but partly obscured. The popular becak which had only been introduced to Jakarta in the mid to late 1930s, just a few years before this photograph was taken, are well represented in the right foreground. Pasar Glodok can be seen more clearly in postcard 261.

263 | Entrance to Jalan Pancoran (2) | Publisher: Maros | Dated: 28 August 1948

CHINATOWN AT GLODOK ( CONTINUED ) Looking west along Jalan Pancoran towards the corner of Jalan Toko Tiga and Jalan Pintu Kecil near the top right hand corner. The tall white building in the centre was the premises of the Thian Seng Tek Roemah Obat Tionghoa, one of many Chinese toko obat (pharmacy) on Jalan Pancoran. Just to the left of Thian Seng Tek is the small shop of Tian Liong, founded in 1935 as a purveyor of kitchen equipment and household wares. Tian Liong prospered over the years and still exists today at the same location but in a much larger store.

264 | Jalan Pancoran | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1940 164

A busy scene looking northwest along Jalan Pintu Kecil from the corner of Jalan Toko Tiga on the left where the Kleermaker Merk Tek Seng (Tek Seng Brand Tailor) is located. The Kali Besar canal is on the right but not visible here. This is a close-up view of the top right hand corner of the postcard above which shows Jalan Pancoran heading towards Jalan Pintu Kecil. Jalan Toko Tiga and Jalan Pintu Kecil are still among the busiest parts of Glodok today. This is a rare Norwegian postcard of Jakarta (the only one in this book).

265 | Jalan Pintu Kecil and Jalan Toko Tiga | Publisher: Probably K. K. Bergen | Circa: 1935

The Chung Hoa Bioscoop (cinema) was located at Jalan Pancoran No. 42A just along from the Tiong Hoa Restaurant in the postcard below.

From the 1940s until the mid-1960s, Jalan Pancoran was a popular cinema district for Chinese language films. The Shanghai, Luna Park and Orion cinemas were also located nearby. Around 1972, the Chung Hoa Cinema was demolished and replaced by the Gloria supermarket and shopping centre, which in turn was destroyed by fire in August 2009.

266 | The Chung Hoa Cinema | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: Late 1940s

The Tiong Hoa Restaurant was a popular Chinese restaurant located at Jalan Pancoran No. 46 and was founded in 1928. It was advertised as “The Well Known Dining & Refreshment Room of Batavia” and later “of Djakarta” after independence. Unlike most restaurants, the Tiong Hoa was a great survivor and was still operating in 1973, when it was described as a “Chinese restaurant specializing in Hakka and Cantonese food, deliciously mouth-watering and inexpensive.” Sadly, the Tiong Hoa Restaurant no longer exists.

267 | The Tiong Hoa Restaurant | Publisher: The Tiong Hoa Restaurant | Circa: 1940

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CHINATOWN AT GLODOK ( CONTINUED ) A horse-drawn cart heads south over the old bridge which connected the southern end of Jalan Kali Besar Barat and the northern half of Jalan Pintu Kecil which runs off into the distance on the left (see also postcards 32 and 39). Today this part of Jalan Pintu Kecil is a textile wholesaling district known as the “Pusat Tekstil Pintu Kecil” (Pintu Kecil Textile Centre). This bridge crossed over the canal that we can see in the postcard below but which was later filled in to create Jalan Telepon Kota.

268 | Jalan Pintu Kecil | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1925 166

Looking west along a section of the southern part of the old moat that surrounded the VOC’s walled city and which in the colonial era was called the Stads Buitengracht (Outer City Canal). This photograph was taken from the bridge we can see in the postcard above. The city walls were demolished around 1808 but this part of the moat survived until around 1940 when it was filled in to create what is now Jalan Telepon Kota. The Chinese homes on the left are on the northern edge of Glodok.

269 | The Outer City Canal | Publisher: De Gedeh | Circa: 1935

Looking east along Jalan Asemka, home to many Chinese businesses on the right. This same view today would be obstructed by the Pasar Pagi flyover which was built between 1989 and 1992. Jalan Asemka was also the location of part of the southern wall of the VOC’s old walled city complete with moat that would once have existed on the far left of this scene.

But the wall was demolished around 1808 and the moat was filled in during the latter part of the 19th century. These shophouses formed part of the northern edge of Glodok.

270 | Jalan Asemka | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930 167

Jalan Perniagaan Timur was for many years known as Jalan Kongsi Besar (literally “Large Trading Firm Street”) suggestive of an important business concern that might once have been located there. Some of the old Chinese-style shophouses on this street have survived largely untouched to this day. On 5 November 1933, the electric tram service number 3 was extended from Jalan Asemka to Jalan Jembatan Lima running through Jalan Perniagaan Timur and the tram lines are visible here in the foreground.

271 | Jalan Perniagaan Timur | Publisher: The Netherlands Steam Navigation Co. | Circa: 1947

THE NETHERLANDS INDIES TRAMWAY COMPANY The Netherlands Indies Tramway Company (better known by its Dutch acronym NITM) was founded in 1881 to develop a steam tram service in Jakarta and replace the unsatisfactory horse-drawn trams which had been introduced in 1869. The NITM’s steam trams began operating on 1 July 1883 and then for half a century served the busy route between the NITM’s northern terminus near the Amsterdam Gate (postcards (9, 10, 11 and 256) and the southern terminus at Jatinegara.

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272 | The Netherlands Indies Tramway Company (1) | Publisher: Canadian Pacific Cruise Lines Circa: Late 1920s

One of the NITM’s steam trams is seen here heading north past Glodok. The NITM’s trams were propelled by compressed steam that was fed into the large metal cylindrical chamber located at the front of each tram. This was preferable to burning coal on the tram itself (as would be done on a steam train) because of the heat this would have created in Jakarta’s already tropical climate and because the windows of the trams were not glazed and smoke from burning coal would have filled the carriages.

273 | The Netherlands Indies Tramway Company (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1925

Here a steam tram is heading north along Jalan Gajah Mada past the Postal Savings Bank building (postcards 286-287). The NITM’s tram services were popular with Jakarta’s citizens and profitable for the company itself with passenger numbers and profits rising steadily over the years. On 31 July 1930, the NITM merged with the Batavia Electric Tramway Co. (BETM), which had commenced an electric tram service in Jakarta in 1899. It would have been a tearful day on 30 September 1933, when the last of Jakarta’s steam trams made its final journey.

274 | The Netherlands Indies Tramway Company (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

During the second half of the 1920s, both the NITM and BETM suffered from rising levels of car ownership and competition from newly formed bus services. The NITM responded by introducing its own buses, one of which we can see here, with schedules coordinated to maximize convenience for their tram passengers as well. The NITM also enjoyed advertising revenues from brands such as Eveready whose flashlights and batteries were available in Indonesia from the mid-1920s.

275 | The Netherlands Indies Tramway Company (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Late 1920s

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JALAN HAYAM WURUK AND JALAN GAJAH MADA Looking north along Jalan Hayam Wuruk from the bridge that connects Jalan K. H. Zainul Arifin and Jalan Sukarjo Wiryopranoto.

In modern terms, Gajah Mada Plaza would be directly behind the photographer. On the far right at Jalan Hayam Wuruk No. 43 is a store selling the interesting combination of bicycles and bedsteads (rijwielen and ledikanten). Two doors further along is the Hotel Weltevreden which was established in 1918 and is now the location of the Furama Chinese Restaurant.

Many ladies are washing clothes in the canal.

276 | Jalan Hayam Wuruk (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930 170

Another view of Jalan Hayam Wuruk but taken slightly further north than in the postcard above. On the left at Jalan Hayam Wuruk No. 56-57, is Tek Sun Ho coffee roasters, founded in 1878 by Liauw Tek Siong, who pioneered the local market for selling coffee made from freshly roasted beans and who was thus a forerunner of the modern global coffee craze.

Today the Bakoel Koffie chain is owned by Liauw Tek Siong’s great-grandchildren. On the right is a dealer of the famous old motorcycle brands Triumph and BSA. 277 | Jalan Hayam Wuruk (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

Another view of the busy Chinese commercial district along Jalan Hayam Wuruk taken around fifteen years after the previous two postcards and probably shortly after independence. On the right are the premises of the Hong Joe Kongsie (Hong Joe Trading Company) at Jalan Hayam Wuruk No. 70 on the corner of Jalan Kebon Jeruk VII. The Hong Joe Kongsie was a dealer in car parts and accessories. This building no longer exists and today an Indomaret convenience store and a Honda motorcycle dealership stand on that site.

278 | Jalan Hayam Wuruk (3) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: Late 1940s

Looking south with Jalan Hayam Wuruk on the left and Jalan Gajah Mada on the right. A simple wooden bridge crosses the canal and to its right we can see the Java Bode sign and the entrance to the De Unie printing works on Jalan Ketapang Utara I where the famous Java Bode newspaper was printed for many years. This view is thus just slightly north of where Gajah Mada Plaza stands today. When this photograph was taken, bamboo rafts were still a popular means of transportation along the canal.

279 | Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Gajah Mada | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

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HOTEL DES INDES In May 1930, this modern new main building of Jakarta’s most famous hotel, the Hotel des Indes, was officially opened with a grand ball which was the “event of the day”. A press report at the time noted that: “The capital (Jakarta) can herewith boast a hotel building which is without equal in the whole Indies (Indonesia)” and “a building which meets the modern requirements of tourism and which can compete with what is offered in this field in Europe.” The original main building of the hotel can be seen in postcards 70 and 71.

280 | The Hotel des Indes (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935 172

In striking contrast to the modern new main building of the Hotel des Indes (postcard above) which was completed in 1930, the hotel’s elegant old reception pavilion, seen here, dated back to at least the 1780s. It had been a grand private home for more than a century and was named Moenswijk by Adriaan Moens, a senior VOC official who purchased the property in 1781. In 1892, it was acquired by the Hotel des Indes and used for important state receptions as well as for festive and social occasions and charity events. It sadly no longer exists.

281 | The Hotel des Indes (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

An aerial view of the Hotel des Indes and its spacious grounds on Jalan Gajah Mada towards the end of the colonial era. The hotel’s modern main building, opened in 1930, dominates this picture in the centre. The hotel’s 18th century reception pavilion (postcard 281) is nestled among the trees on the left. At the rear are the guest rooms which were mostly rebuilt and modernised between 1909 and 1923. The hotel was tragically demolished around 1972 and the nondescript Duta Merlin shopping complex and Carrefour now occupy this site.

282 | The Hotel des Indes (3) | Publisher: Royal Netherlands Indies Air Navigation Company Circa: 1940

The Hotel des Indes was also famous for its wine cellar and an account from 1937 effusively observed that “The wine cellars, where a mysterious semi-darkness is prevailing, contain a choice of wines, which are only waiting for the important moment that, in answer to a guest’s order, a dusky bottle is removed from the dark cellar and brought into the brilliant light of the dining room (located on the hotel’s ground floor on the right), where its contents are poured into a glass of sparkling crystal.”

283 | The Hotel des Indes (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935

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SOUTHERN END OF JALAN GAJAH MADA AND JALAN HAYAM WURUK A tranquil scene looking south along the canal that separates Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Gajah Mada in the direction of the famous Harmonie Club in the distance. On Jalan Hayam Wuruk on the left, one of the few 19th century European colonial homes still remaining in the area at the time stands behind the trees. It has long since been demolished and replaced with modern shops and offices. On Jalan Gajah Mada on the right are the grounds of Jakarta’s most famous hotel during the colonial era, the Hotel des Indes.

284 | Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Gajah Mada | Publisher: A. R. Tazaki Postmarked: 2 September 1929 174

A similar view to the postcard above but looking in the opposite direction and thus looking north with the southern end of Jalan Gajah Mada on the left and Jalan Hayam Wuruk on the right.

Also on the left are the leafy grounds of the luxury Hotel des Indes before the hotel’s new main building was completed in 1930 and many of the trees were cut down. The Duta Merlin shopping complex and Carrefour now occupy this site. Today the canal is barely visible from this vantage point because of the TransJakarta Busway stations built above it.

285 | Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Hayam Wuruk | Publisher: Visser & Co. Dated: 30 December 1928

THE POSTAL SAVINGS BANK The Postspaarbank (Postal Savings Bank) was established by the colonial government in Jakarta in 1898 to enable citizens to have savings accounts in an era when most banks only had a very small number of branches and usually only in the largest cities. It operated through the extensive network of post and telegraph offices in Indonesia at which customers could make deposits and withdrawals. Later it also developed a school savings scheme to help children start saving from a young age.

286 | The Postal Savings Bank (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Late 1920s 175

In 1927, the Postal Savings Bank acquired the grand and relatively new building in postcard 286 above (which was completed in 1921), located at the southern end of Jalan Gajah Mada to become its new headquarters. The building was given the new faรงade seen here in 1930. In 1950, the Postal Savings Bank was renamed Bank Tabungan Pos and in 1963, it became Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) which it remains to this day. This well-preserved landmark building still exists in front of the new multi-storey BTN head office.

287 | The Postal Savings Bank (2) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: Late 1940s

THE HARMONIE CLUB By the 1920s and 1930s, Jakarta’s famous Harmonie Club was already past its prime.

Competition had emerged from cinemas and restaurants meaning that the old social clubs were no longer the only sources of entertainment.

Also by this time, the European community in Jakarta was larger and less hierarchical than in the 19th century, such that club membership was less important for achieving upward social mobility. Nevertheless, the Harmonie Club remained popular for its dining room, dance floor, cellar and billiard room.

288 | The Harmonie Club (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935 176

Two of Jakarta’s great vanished icons from the colonial era seen here in the same postcard. The Harmonie Club on the corner of Jalan Veteran and Jalan Majapahit (see also postcards 74 to 77 and 288 above) was the most famous of Jakarta’s European only social clubs. It was demolished in April 1985 to enable the widening of Jalan Majapahit. Jakarta’s popular steam trams (see also postcards 272-274) ceased operations on 28 February 1934 and thus already no longer existed when this postcard was posted in 1936.

289 | The Harmonie Club (2) | Publisher: Helmig & Co. | Circa: 1925 (but dated 1 April 1936)

AROUND THE HARMONIE CLUB Looking south along Jalan Majapahit in a view similar to postcard 78 but from around twenty years later. The famous old landmark store of Oger Freres tailors – prominent in postcard 78 – had by this time been replaced by the modern new building seen here on the right. Oger Freres continued to operate from this same location until the 1950s but occupying only part of the building. This street level view enables a good appreciation of just how narrow Jalan Majapahit truly was before the Harmonie Club on the left was demolished in 1985.

290 | The Northern Entrance to Jalan Majapahit | Pubisher: Unknown | Circa: Late 1920s 177

A panoramic view over Harmonie Plain from the top of the Hotel des Galeries (postcards 296-297). An electric tram is about to enter Jalan Majapahit and will pass by the Harmonie Club on its left and the premises of the Nitour (Netherlands India Travel Office) travel agency on its right. Nitour occupied that site until early in the 21st century although later from a newer double-storeyed building. The luxuriant trees at the top right are long gone and the head office of Bank UOB Buana is now located there.

291 | Harmonie Plain | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935

JALAN MAJAPAHIT The Lee Cheong (Chinese antiques) store on the far left survived at this location at Jalan Majapahit No. 32 for several decades. The name can still be seen on the front of the building today although the business itself seems to have ceased. Further along, the number 4 electric tram and the old steam tram in the distance make it possible to date this view to between 12 April 1933, when the number 4 tram service from Harmonie commenced and 30 September 1933, when the steam tram service to the Amsterdam Gate was terminated.

292 | Jalan Majapahit (1) | Publisher: D I C P U Foto-Handel | Postmarked: 24 March 1937 178

Looking north along Jalan Majapahit at the shops along the western side of the street. The prominent three-storey Dutch-style building on the left housed what was one of Jakarta’s best known businesses for many decades, Rathkamp & Co., who were retail and wholesale pharmacists, pharmaceutical manufacturers, opticians and suppliers of hospital, doctor’s and laboratory requisites. Rathkamp & Co. dated back to the mid-19th century, were incorporated in 1910 and survived until at least the 1950s.

293 | Jalan Majapahit (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

Looking south along Jalan Majapahit at the shops along the western side of the street. On the far right are the handsome retail premises of E. Dunlop & Co. which stocked a wide range of groceries, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. The store was built in 191415, replacing the one nearby in which the firm had operated since its establishment in 1878. Mr Dunlop died in 1890, aged only 37, but the firm survived him and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1928. See also postcards 24, 216 and 217.

294 | Jalan Majapahit (3) | Publisher: Helmig & Co. | Circa: 1925

A rare evening view of Jalan Majapahit giving us the chance to look into the brightly lit shop windows. In the second half of the 19th century, Jalan Majapahit was known as the Franse buurt (French neighbourhood) because of the many shops and salons with French names along this street. But even into the 1920s and 1930s, Jalan Majapahit retained a French character with such establishments as Oger Freres, Maison de Bonneterie, Au Bon Marche, Coiffeur Francais Reux and Hotel du Pavillon.

295 | Jalan Majapahit (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935

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HOTEL DES GALERIES The Hotel des Galeries was built in 1930 on the corner of Jalan Hayam Wuruk and Jalan Juanda on the site of the old Hotel Wisse (postcard 233).

A hotel has existed on this site since at least the 1860s, when the Hotel Ernst was well known to travellers visiting Jakarta. Although the Hotel des Galeries was a luxury class hotel, it was completely overshadowed by the much more famous Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73 and 280-283) which was located only metres away on Jalan Gajah Mada until the early 1970s.

296 | The Hotel des Galeries (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Late 1930s 180

A close-up view of the Hotel des Galeries with the open air CafĂŠ Rotonde extending out from the main hotel building at street level on the right. The cafĂŠ was later demolished to enable traffic to turn more easily from Jalan Hayam Wuruk into Jalan Juanda. The hotel building still exists today but has been remodeled with numerous turrets to make it look somewhat like a castle. It has not been used as a hotel for many years and now the only occupant appears to be a restaurant and karoke bar. This prominent site is presumably ripe for redevelopment.

297 | The Hotel des Galeries (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 2 February 1937

WESTERN END OF JALAN JUANDA Looking west from the western end of Jalan Juanda towards the imposing Eigen Hulp department store building at the southern end of Jalan Gajah Mada. Eigen Hulp was established on this site in 1890 in a smaller building as Jakarta’s second department store (after Onderlinge Hulp in 1885). They must have initially prospered because they could upgrade to this impressive new emporium in 1921. However, by 1927, Eigen Hulp had ceased to exist and this building was sold to the Postal Savings Bank (postcards 286-287).

298 | The Eigen Hulp Department Store | Publisher: Helmig & Co. | Circa: 1925 181

At the western end of Jalan Juanda, the Dutch-style ENLVM (First Netherlands Life Insurance Company) building with the quaint little domed lookout on the roof still exists today but with a different façade and is now occupied by the Adhi Karya construction company. On the far left (behind the car), the smaller Maison Coesel Ice Cream Palace store had several occupants over the years including De Tabaksplant tobacco merchants in the 1910s (postcard 82) and Bonefaas children’s and babies’ wear by the late 1930s (postcard 296).

299 | The Western End of Jalan Juanda | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 7 December 1926

JALAN JUANDA Looking east along the western end of a tranquil Jalan Juanda. The second building on the left was the retail store of Jenne & Co., the leading firm of butchers, meat canners and meat product manufacturers in Indonesia in the latter decades of the colonial era. The firm dated back to 1878. In 1925, it was quaintly noted that at this store “the company’s products are procurable in all their delightful variety.”

On the right of Jenne & Co. is the large Dutchstyle head office of the NILLMIJ life insurance company that can be seen in postcard 83.

300 | Jalan Juanda (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Early 1920s 182

Looking east along the eastern end of Jalan Juanda with the canal on the right. The tops of the two spires of the Catholic cathedral (postcard 192) are visible behind the trees just to the left of centre. The automobile and bicycle have already joined the two and four wheel horse-drawn carriages as popular forms of transportation. When this photograph was taken there was still two way traffic on Jalan Juanda unlike today where traffic heads only east along Jalan Juanda and only west along Jalan Veteran on the other side of the canal.

301 | Jalan Juanda (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

Looking east along Jalan Juanda across the canal from Jalan Veteran. Prominent on the left are the modern new premises of the popular restaurant, Maison Versteeg, which replaced their original building that we can see in postcard 84. Founded in 1874, Maison Versteeg were also bakers, grocers, manufacturers of ice cream and orangeade and importers of a wide variety of wines and spirits. But Maison Versteeg seemed unable to survive beyond the colonial era and ceased to exist around 1940. A Bank Indonesia building now occupies this site.

302 | Jalan Juanda (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935 183

Looking west along Jalan Juanda with the handsome four-storey offices of the Arnhem Life Insurance Company on the right. This building was completed in 1922 and described in 1925 as “one of the finest business structures in Batavia (Jakarta).� It was also one of the tallest office buildings in Jakarta at the time.

The Arnhem Life Insurance Company was founded in Holland in 1899 and opened their first Jakarta office in 1904. In the 1950s, this building was used by the Garuda and KLM airlines but sadly no longer exists.

303 | Jalan Juanda (4) | Publisher: Nikko | Circa: 1930

HOTEL DER NEDERLANDEN During the first half of the 20th century, the Hotel der Nederlanden on Jalan Veteran, would have ranked behind the Hotel des Indes (postcards 70-73 and 280-283) for the title of Jakarta’s leading hotel, but nevertheless it was still among the top two or three hotels in the city. It was extensively remodelled in 1922, and an observer in 1925 wrote that “…nothing is lacking in its organisation and service for the comfort and convenience of its guests.” The hotel’s original façade can be seen in postcard 105. See also postcards 105-108.

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304 | The Hotel der Nederlanden (1) | Publisher: The Hotel der Nederlanden | Circa: 1925

A lively evening of outdoor entertainment for mainly European guests at the Hotel der Nederlanden, complete with a band and whitesuited waiters. This would have been a similar scene to the one enjoyed by a visitor in 1925 who observed that “…the front grounds are nicely laid out with comfortable chairs and tables, and a spraying fountain with coloured electric lights. The people who sit there in the evening have behind them the brilliantlylighted lounges and the ballroom of the hotel with its first-class orchestra.”

305 | The Hotel der Nederlanden (2) | Publisher: The Hotel der Nederlanden | Circa: 1930

Warm praise for the kitchens of the Hotel der Nederlanden in 1925 concluded that “The culinary departments of the hotel, with their splendid refrigerating rooms, are under the charge of European chefs, and the food is well calculated to please the most fastidious tastes, both in regard to its quality and variety, as well as the manner of its service, a special feature being made of the rijsttafel (‘rice-table’ seen in the postcard below) that is so popular throughout the Netherlands Indies (Indonesia).”

306 | The Hotel der Nederlanden (3) | Publisher: The Hotel der Nederlanden | Circa: 1930

Two European men at the Hotel der Nederlanden are about to enjoy the rijsttafel (rice table), served by a train of white-suited waiters, each carrying a different dish. It was noted in 1925 that “The spacious dining-hall, which forms part of the main building, has sitting accommodation for 250 persons, and abuts on the ballroom where the orchestra plays every night. The Hotel der Nederlanden dinner dances on Saturday nights, and the Sunday tiffin (luncheon) dances and evening concerts are very popular.”

307 | The Hotel der Nederlanden (4) | Publisher: The Hotel der Nederlanden | Circa: 1930

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PASAR BARU Pasar Baru (new market) was thriving in the 1920s and 1930s and had become one of Jakarta’s most popular upper-end shopping districts, a position it would hold until it began to be surpassed by modern shopping malls in the 1980s. Here we are looking north from the southern entrance of Jalan Pasar Baru and being greeted by banners for “There is BATA. The Most Economical Shoes!!” and for a “sale” by the jewellers and silk merchants, Pohoomull Brothers. See also postcards 117-120.

308 | Pasar Baru (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1940 186

Looking south along Jalan Pasar Baru. A tranquil and relaxed scene with cyclists mingling with cars and the occasional horsedrawn carriage. Pedestrians are mainly on the eastern side of the street presumably to take advantage of the shade. In just this part of Jalan Pasar Baru, people could shop for shoes, clothes, books, jewellery, sewing machines, pens and ink, have a suit made and then finish off with confectionery or an ice cream at Luilekkerland.

Today Jalan Pasar Baru is a covered pedestrian mall and is closed to cars.

309 | Pasar Baru (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935

The Matahari department store group, which is now the largest department store chain in Indonesia, started modestly in 1958 selling men’s shirts from a shop located at Jalan Pasar Baru No. 110. But they didn’t initially trade under the Matahari (“sun” in Indonesian) name.

It was only after they acquired the Toko de Zon (“zon” being “sun” in Dutch) department store, seen here on the left at Jalan Pasar Baru No. 52-58, that they started operating as Sinar Matahari (“ray of sunshine” in Indonesian) and then finally becoming Matahari.

310 | Pasar Baru (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Early 1930s 187

Looking south along Jalan Pasar Baru when it was still one of Jakarta’s premier retailing districts that offered one of the city’s best selections of fashion, shoes, jewellery, books, pens, sporting equipment, gramophones and records, textiles, tailors and ice cream parlours as well as the Tan Tjie Lan “Electric Photo Studio” at No. 86 on the left. There was also the Toko Europa department store at No. 80 (centre top) which was founded circa 1933 and specialized in men’s, women’s and children’s wear. A Matahari store is now located there.

311 | Pasar Baru (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

PASAR BARU ( CONTINUED ) Looking north towards the northern end of Jalan Pasar Baru. The store sign of prominent general merchant and postcard publisher, Tio Tek Hong (postcards 119-120 and 314), is on the left below the Gillette razor sign. Evident here is the beginning of the trend of old 19th century Chinese-style shophouses, such as the one on the right, giving way to early 20th century European architecture. Today, the beautiful old Toko Kompak store at Jalan Pasar Baru No. 18A is the only double-storey Chinese shophouse in original condition remaining in the area.

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312 | Pasar Baru (5) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1920

Looking south from the northern end of Jalan Pasar Baru. The Toko Japan Yamato store on the left, at Jalan Pasar Baru 130, was one of several Toko Japan (Japanese stores) in Pasar Baru during the 1920s and 1930s, reflecting the popularity of Japanese merchandise at the time (but which naturally didn’t survive the end of the brutal Japanese occupation in 1945).

The well known jamu (herbal tonic) producer, Nyonya Meneer, now occupies the Toko Japan Yamato store and has done so since the 1940s.

313 | Pasar Baru (6) | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 30 October 1929

The prominent general merchant and leading postcard publisher, Tio Tek Hong, opened his first store at Jalan Pasar Baru No. 93 in 1902 (postcards 119-120). His business prospered and during the 1910s, he acquired adjoining land and twice rebuilt his store to become the impressive emporium seen here. However, he was also borrowing money to make some of his property investments and was hit hard by the Great Depression of the early 1930s. His business survived until perhaps the early 1940s, but on a much reduced scale.

314 | Pasar Baru (7) | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1925 189

This Dutch-style building on the corner of Jalan Pintu Air and Jalan Antara in Pasar Baru still exists today and its main tenant is now a travel agency. But in the mid-1930s, it was the home of the Kuck Sports Company, which offered a wide range of sporting equipment but seemingly with a special focus on tennis. To the left is the London Millinery store and also the office of the Pictorial Review, which was a popular ladies fashion magazine published in the USA in the 1920s and 1930s.

315 | Pasar Baru (8) | Publisher: Unknown | Dated: 10 December 1935

LEADERS IN OIL AND NEWS

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316 | The Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM) Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: Late 1940s

317 | The ANETA Building Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Early 1930s

The history of the Indonesian oil industry dates back to two companies that were formed in the 1890s and which merged in 1907 to create what is now the global oil giant Shell. A Shell subsidiary, the Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM) accounted for more than 95% of Indonesia’s oil production during the 1920s. The BPM head office seen here was built in the late 1930s and located on the corner of Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur and Jalan Perwira and still stands today although is now occupied by the state-owned oil company, Pertamina.

The ANETA news agency was founded in Jakarta in 1917 by D. W. Berretty, who became one of Indonesia’s earliest media tycoons. His business model was to be first with the news to and from Indonesia and it made him a wealthy man at a young age. ANETA also obtained one of Indonesia’s earliest radio licences in 1924. Berretty tragically died in a plane crash in 1934, aged only 44. The ANETA head office seen here was built in 1920 on Jalan Antara and still exists today although it is in very poor condition.

AROUND PASAR BARU Looking east along Jalan Antara towards the southern end of Jalan Pasar Baru by the bridge.

The tall white building on the left was the ANETA news agency (postcard 317). In the 1940s the wide building two doors along from ANETA with the cars parked in front would become the office of the Indonesian national news agency, ANTARA, which was founded in 1937, by among others, Adam Malik, who would later serve as Indonesia’s vice president from 1978-1983. This building is today the ANTARA photo gallery and museum.

318 | Jalan Antara | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 23 or 28 February 1927 191

Jakarta’s new central post office was opened in 1913 and replaced its predecessor (postcard 126) on the same site. In 1937, there were seven post offices in Jakarta supported by around 150 postmen, 175 bicycles and 8 delivery cars to ensure delivery of the mail. Colonial-era post offices in Indonesia also played an important role in transmitting and receiving postal orders worth millions of guilders. This building served as Jakarta’s central post office until the current central post office on Jalan Lapangan Banteng Utara was opened in 1992.

319 | The New Central Post Office | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 17 October 1935

LAPANGAN BANTENG A rare postcard of Jakarta published in Japanese and only a few years before the Japanese occupation of Indonesia began in March 1942. This is a view looking northeast across Lapangan Banteng towards the statue of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, the founder of Batavia for the VOC in 1619 (see also postcard 137) with the elegant Ministry of Finance building (postcards 135-136) behind it. The text in Japanese refers only to the statue of J. P. Coen and indeed it was during the Japanese occupation that this statue was destroyed on 7 March 1943.

320 | The J. P. Coen Statue at Lapangan Banteng | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930s 192

A tranquil view of Lapangan Banteng where we can see several food vendors, an open air barber at work, two ladies walking across the plain, a man inspecting his bicycle and a young boy wearing a peci and with his hands in his shirt pockets. The photographer would have been standing just in front of where the Hotel Borobudur is located today. In the distance between the trees, from left to right, are the Catholic cathedral (postcard 192), the Waterloo monument (postcard 139) and the Princess Juliana School (postcard 206).

321 | Lapangan Banteng | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

FORMER MILITARY INFLUENCE From 1918, the old military commander’s residence on Jalan Pejambon (postcards 151152) was used by the newly formed Volksraad (People’s Council) which advised the governorgeneral and included Indonesian representation on a major national council for the first time.

An early Volksraad member was Mohammad Husni Thamrin (1894-1941), after whom Jalan Thamrin was later named. This building is now Gedung Pancasila and forms part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs complex.

322 | Gedung Pancasila | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 17 October 1936 193

The site where the Istiqlal Mosque is now located was known as Wilhelmina Park (postcard 130) from 1898 until the end of the colonial era. The park included the old Prince Hendrik Citadel which was a military fortification built in the 1830s to improve Jakarta’s defences. For many years it was also used as a weapons storehouse.

After independence, Wilhelmina Park was renamed Taman Wijaya Kusuma. The citadel was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the Istiqlal Mosque. See also postcard 129.

323 | The Prince Hendrik Citadel | Publisher: The KPM Shipping Company | Circa: 1925

PASAR SENEN Looking north along bustling Jalan Pasar Senen with tram lines running through the centre of the street. Hundreds of vendors peddle their wares in front of the old Chinesestyle shophouses. Stores include Ong & Co. furniture, Toko Baba Gemoek (literally “shop of the fat old Indonesian-born Chinese man”) and also Toko Delima, whose proprietor was M. J. Mohamad and therefore might have been one of the few non-Chinese-owned shops along this street. See also postcards 165-166.

324 | Pasar Senen (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935 194

A view of Pasar Senen in the late 1940s, probably after the first Dutch “police action”, which began on 20 July 1947, when Dutch troops regained control of key buildings in Jakarta that had been held by Indonesian proindependence Republican forces. Note the Dutch sailor on the left. The severe shortages of rice and vegetables at this time caused by the Republican blockade of fresh food supplies from West Java into Jakarta would have been acutely felt at Pasar Senen which was the city’s central market for fruit and vegetables.

325 | Pasar Senen (2) | Publisher: NIWIN | Circa: Late 1940s

The Jakarta City Council was formed in 1905, and one of its early initiatives was to develop municipal markets at key locations in Jakarta, side-by-side with private shops and stalls, in order to be able to monitor and influence the distribution and supply of basic necessities. By a decree in March 1910, the first three municipal markets were opened at Pasar Senen (seen here), Pasar Baru and Pasar Ikan and were the forerunners of the Pasar Jaya markets that are operated throughout Jakarta today by the Jakarta City Government.

326 | Pasar Senen (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1925 195

In this view and in the one above, we are looking along Jalan Stasiun Senen at the Pasar Senen municipal market that was managed by the Jakarta City Council. The council also stipulated which products were to be sold at its larger markets with Pasar Senen focusing on fruit and vegetables (as is very evident from this scene) and Pasar Tanah Abang becoming the centre for textiles. The office of the council’s marktmeester (market director) was in the loods (hangar) B.C. building on the left.

327 | Pasar Senen (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935

AROUND CENTRAL JAKARTA Looking south across the Senen-Kramat intersection towards the Kramat Apotheek (pharmacy), one of the most prominent landmarks in the Senen area for many years, on the corner of Jalan Kramat Raya and Jalan Kwitang. The view from the same position today would be blocked by the Senen overpass.

The number 5 electric tram service seen here began on 1 August 1935 and operated from Tanah Abang, running along Jalan Wahid Hasyim and the northern edge of Menteng through to Kramat and Pasar Senen.

328 | The Senen-Kramat Intersection | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Late 1930s 196

This was the third Gambir station on Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur and was built in 1928.

The first stood from 1871-1884 as part of what was also Jakarta’s first railway line. The second station existed from 1884-1928 and can be seen in postcard 221. This third station was built in art-deco style and served Jakarta for over sixty years until it was demolished in 1990. It was replaced by the current Gambir station, with elevated railway lines, which was opened in 1992. Gambir station has for most of its history been Indonesia’s busiest railway station.

329 | Gambir Station | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: Late 1940s

Looking south from Jalan Ridwan Rais in the direction of Jalan Menteng Raya with Jalan Prapatan on the left and Jalan Kebon Sirih on the right. All the buildings on the left of the two girls on bicycles and the Forum cigars sign have been demolished and now the Tugu Tani heroes monument stands nearby on a traffic island in front of the Hotel Aryaduta. Some of the old Chinese-style shops on the right still exist, although are only barely recognizable, and since the 1970s this area has been one of Jakarta’s busiest centres for photocopy services.

330 | Prapatan Junction | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930 197

Jalan Kebon Sirih became an elite European residential district from around the 1850s (postcard 179) and continued to be popular into the 20th century with the development of Taman Kebon Sirih (literally “betel nut plantation park”) which was located on the southern side of the street west of Jalan Thamrin. These houses looking over the Cideng canal are facing what is now the Bank Indonesia complex. Both the house below the postmark (Jalan Kebon Sirih No. 5) and the double-storey one on the right still stand today.

331 | Kebon Sirih Park | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 2 November 1932

MENTENG The development of Menteng as Jakarta’s first properly planned suburb, complete with modern infrastructure, had begun in 1910 (postcards 153-156) and progressed swiftly during the 1910s and 1920s as a new district for the growing European population. Here we are looking south along Jalan Teuku Umar (then Van Heutsz Boulevard). The Kunstkring (Arts Circle) building (postcard 155), which is now an elegant restaurant and bar, is on the left. The building on the right was a media centre for the military until as recently as early 2011.

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332 | Menteng (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1925

General J. B. van Heutsz was the Dutch military commander who was given credit for finally bringing to an end the long and bloody Aceh War (1873-1904). He was regarded as being the “pacifier” of Indonesia and was rewarded with the position of governor-general from 1904-1909. In 1932, this monument was erected in his honour at what is now Taman Cut Meutia. After independence in 1945, the words “Indonesia, never again the life-blood of any nation!” were famously painted on the monument and it was later destroyed.

333 | Menteng (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935

Canisius College is a leading Catholic junior and senior high school for boys located on the western side of Jalan Menteng Raya and was founded by the Jesuits in 1927. The school initially operated from the 19th century colonial house seen here on the right, which has long since been demolished and replaced by a modern multi-storey building which spans the entire frontage of the school. One of the numerous prominent alumni of Canisius College is Fauzi Bowo, the governor of Jakarta from 2007-2012.

334 | Menteng (3) | Publisher: Canisius College | Circa: 1940 199

In 1934, the new Adhuc Stat (“it yet stands”) Freemasons’ Lodge was completed on the southern side of Taman Suropati, one of the most prominent locations in the rapidly growing new suburb of Menteng, probably to replace the old Star in the East lodge (postcard 210) at Lapangan Banteng which had been used by the Freemasons since 1858. The Adhuc Stat lodge is now the home of Indonesia’s National Economic Planning Board, BAPPENAS. On the right is the Gereja Paulus (Paul’s Church) which was built in 1937.

335 | Menteng (4) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: Late 1940s

AROUND MEDAN MERDEKA In 1905, the Gemeente Batavia (Jakarta City Council) was established as a new initiative to create a more decentralized local government.

The council was active in improving the quality of drinking water and health services, asphalting roads and managing numerous municipal markets including at Pasar Senen (postcards 326-327). The Council Secretariat building seen here was located at Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan No. 9 but no longer exists. It was replaced by the current Menara Balai Kota DKI (Jakarta City Hall Tower) in 1976.

336 | The Jakarta City Council | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930 200

The Protestant Emmanuel Church was consecrated in 1839 as the Willemskerk, after King Willem I of Holland. It was renamed the Gereja Imanuel (Emmanuel Church) in 1948 and is located on the corner of Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur and Jalan Pejambon. Here we are looking east along Jalan Pejambon from Medan Merdeka. The church’s beautiful interior includes a domed white ceiling and a magnificent pipe organ with 1,116 pipes that was brought from Europe in 1843 and completely restored in 1985. See also postcard 191.

337 | The Emmanuel Church | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

THE MUSEUM Indonesia’s National Museum building on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat was completed in 1868 as the new home for the collections of the Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences (see also postcards 185-188). The second storey “treasure room” above the entrance was added in 1913.

The bronze statue of an elephant standing on an ornate pedestal on the left was presented by the visiting King of Siam (Thailand) to the Dutch governor-general in 1871 and is why the museum is widely known in Jakarta today as the museum gajah (elephant museum).

338 | The National Museum (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935 201

This beautiful photograph was taken from the museum’s entrance hall looking through the front columns in the direction of Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat. The Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences was renamed the Lembaga Kebudayaan Indonesia (Indonesian Cultural Institute) in 1950 and came under the management of the Indonesian government in 1962. The Society’s museum became the Museum Pusat (Central Museum) until 1979 when it was renamed the Museum Nasional (National Museum) that it is today.

339 | The National Museum (2) | Publisher: Published for the Museum | Circa: 1935

THE PGI CIKINI HOSPITAL A tender scene at the PGI Cikini Hospital on Jalan Raden Saleh with two nurses taking care of six young boys. The PGI Cikini Hospital was founded in 1898 as the Queen Emma Hospital by the wife of a Dutch Protestant missionary in order to provide church-funded medical services to all levels of society with an emphasis on helping the poor. This was a very enlightened mission considering that medical services had received a low priority from the government during most of the colonial era.

See also postcards 161-164.

340 | The PGI Cikini Hospital (1) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1930 202

The outdoor “tea table of the nurses” at the PGI Cikini Hospital. The building on the right is the former mansion of Indonesia’s most famous 19th century painter, Raden Saleh, who previously owned the land on which the hospital was established (see also postcard 161). The opening of the Protestant PGI Cikini Hospital in 1898 was followed by the Catholic St. Carolus Hospital in 1918 and the municipal Central Civic Hospital (now the Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital) in 1919 to form the beginning of modern hospital services in Jakarta.

341 | The PGI Cikini Hospital (2) | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1930

THE DUTCH-CHINESE TEACHER TRAINING ACADEMY In the early 1900s, anger among the IndonesianChinese community over the lack of access to formal education for their children prompted the Chinese to open their own schools that were outside the control of the colonial education department and where Mandarin was the language of instruction. Concerned by this trend, the colonial government opened the first Dutch-Chinese schools in 1908, where Chinese children were taught in Dutch, followed in 1917 by this Dutch-Chinese Teacher Training Academy in Jatinegara.

342 | The Dutch-Chinese Teacher Training Academy (1) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Early 1920s

The academy offered a five-year course to trainee teachers, completely free of charge, and it was hoped that they would then work as teachers in the government’s Dutch-Chinese schools after their graduation. Initially, only boys were to be offered places at the academy but even before it was opened in 1917 the decision was made to accept girls as well (as can be seen here in this classroom). It was subsequently concluded that girls were neater, better mannered and had superior Dutch language skills than the boys.

343 | The Dutch-Chinese Teacher Training Academy (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Early 1920s

203

CINEMAS

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344 | The Globe Cinema | Publisher: The Globe Cinema Circa: 1930

345 | The China Film Co. | Publisher: The China Film Co. Circa: Late 1920s

An advertising postcard for the Globe Cinema which was situated on Jalan K. H. Samanhudi near the corner of Jalan Pasar Baru. It was one of Jakarta’s most enduring cinemas, already in existence in 1911 and only closing around 2009 after it struggled to compete with the large modern cineplexes.

The rundown shell of the Globe Cinema still exists today (although not the building seen here which was replaced by a multi-storey structure). It was at the Globe Cinema where the first “talking movie” was played in Jakarta, possibly in 1929.

The first two feature length films produced in Indonesia were Loetoeng Kasaroeng and Eulis Atjih in 1926 and 1927 respectively, both with screenplays by L. Heuveldorp. However, the vast majority of films screened in Jakarta in the 1920s and 1930s were imported from Hollywood and Shanghai.

The China Film Co. was an early importer and already in business in 1926. This postcard advertises in Chinese that “Shanghai’s leading actress, Xi Fang Qing, is appearing in films in Jakarta presented by the China Film Co.”

The Kramat Theatre still exists today as the Grand Cinema on the corner of Jalan Kramat Bunder and Jalan Kramat Raya. It was already operating in 1926. By 1936, it had become the Rex Theatre and by 1950 had been renamed the Grand Cinema. With the closing of the Globe Cinema in Pasar Baru (postcard 344) around 2009, the Grand Cinema is now Jakarta’s oldest surviving cinema although it is in poor condition. The movie being shown here is Hell’s Angels, directed by Howard Hughes in 1930 and starring Jean Harlow.

346 | The Kramat Theatre | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Early 1930s 205

This theatre was built around 1920 at the southern end of Jalan Pintu Air as the successor to the Elite Cinema (postcard 212) and was also initially called the Elite. In 1927, it was known as the Rembrandt and by the early 1930s had become the Capitol. It was also famous for its popular restaurant. In 1936, it was owned by a European and was one of the few cinemas in Jakarta at the time that was not Chinese-owned.

Showing here is the German film Liebeswalzer made in 1930, with Puttin’ on the Ritz, also from 1930, a forthcoming attraction.

347 | The Capitol Theatre | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Early 1930s

PASAR GAMBIR One of the most keenly anticipated events in Jakarta during the final decades of Dutch colonial rule was the Pasar Gambir (Gambir Fair) which ran for several weeks in August and September with the highlight being the celebration of Queen Wilhelmina’s birthday on 31 August. Pasar Gambir was held on the southwest corner of Medan Merdeka which we can see in this aerial view of the fairgrounds with Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat running from top to bottom and Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan running from left to right.

348 | Pasar Gambir (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: Late 1920s 206

A feature of Pasar Gambir was that every year elaborate temporary pavilions such as the one seen here from 1935 were designed by Dutch architects who were inspired by traditional Indonesian architecture. Each year they drew upon different themes including design ideas from Bali, Sumatra, Sulawesi and Java. The pavilions were made of wood and bamboo with thatched and reed roofs and were dismantled at the end of each fair: a remarkable amount of work for what were only temporary structures.

349 | Pasar Gambir (2) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1935

Pasar Gambir was first held in 1906 and ran until World War I. It was then revived in 1921 and continued until 1941. The Japanese occupation from March 1942 was its death knell. Pasar Gambir was a showcase of what the Dutch wanted to highlight about their colony, both traditional and modern, including handicrafts, agricultural produce and the latest in industrial progress. Companies could book stalls to show off their products. There were also fairground rides, art exhibitions, dancing and a vast variety of food.

350 | Pasar Gambir (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 25 November 1926 207

Pasar Gambir was enthusiastically attended by hundreds of thousands of people every year. A key feature of the fair was that it was one of the few events in colonial Indonesia that was open to all races and classes in what was a racially stratified and class-conscious society. Note the multi-racial composition of the spectators at this popular motorcycle daredevil event at Pasar Gambir in 1922. Dutch pride in their colony was very evident at Pasar Gambir amid the many Dutch flags billowing in the wind.

351 | Pasar Gambir (4) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1922

WATER SPORTS The Cikini swimming pool complex was completed in 1925 and located on Jalan Cikini Raya beside the Botanical and Zoological Gardens (postcards 157-160). It was the first “public” swimming pool built in Jakarta although it was “public” only to the extent that during the colonial era it was exclusively for the use of Europeans as well as Eurasians who possessed “European status”. This is very evident in this postcard and in the one below.

Since independence, the Cikini pool has been open to people of all nationalities.

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352 | The Cikini Swimming Pool (1) | Publisher: De Unie | Circa: Late 1920s

In the 1920s and 1930s, there was a thriving sporting scene in Jakarta that included interclub swimming and diving competitions as well as water polo tournaments at the Cikini pool. In this lively scene, a happy throng of spectators, including some quite formally dressed, are watching one such competition. The Cikini pool still survives today as the popular and well maintained Kolam Renang Cikini, although the original buildings surrounding it are gone and now the Hotel Formule 1 stands in front of it facing Jalan Cikini Raya.

353 | The Cikini Swimming Pool (2) | Publisher: De Unie | Circa: Late 1920s

Jakarta’s yacht club was located at Tanjung Priok on the eastern side of the port and was popular for swimming, relaxing away from the city and, of course, for yachting. It was noted in 1937 that “The Yacht Club, which has its headquarters at an attractive club building at Tanjung Priok and possesses a large fleet, organizes regular yachting tournaments, also international ones, in which members of the Singapore Yacht Club participate. As a result thereof beach life at Tanjung Priok has become much more lively.” The club no longer exists.

354 | The Yacht Club at Tanjung Priok | Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 9 March 1932 209

The Manggarai zwembad (swimming pool) was built in 1934 and was located at the eastern end of Jalan Sultan Agung not far from the Manggarai railway station and Pasar Rumput.

It was the scene of popular Pan-Java inter-club swimming competitions for Europeans during the 1930s with members of the Manggarai club having a winged “M” on their swimming costumes as their club symbol. The pool was opened to Indonesians after independence but was demolished in the 1980s and Pasaraya Manggarai shopping centre built in its place.

355 | The Manggarai Swimming Pool | Publisher: Vesta | Circa: Late 1940s

TANJUNG PRIOK Tanjung Priok grew rapidly after it was completed with a single inner harbour in 1886.

A second inner harbour was opened in 1917 and a third by the mid-1930s. However, the vacant land in the top left hand corner here shows that Tanjung Priok was still quite isolated from the rest of Jakarta for many years. The city has since grown to reach the port and now all of this land is densely packed. Popular suburbs such as Ancol to the west and Sunter to the south have also developed nearby. See also postcards 55-63.

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356 | Tanjung Priok (1) | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: Late 1920s

When this photograph was taken around 1930, Tanjung Priok would have featured more prominently in the lives of most residents of Jakarta than it does today. It was still the era before commercial air services had begun and when passengers and the all-important mail arrived at Jakarta by sea at this port. In the late colonial era, Tanjung Priok was the largest port in Indonesia in terms of shipping traffic, but not by a wide margin. In 1928, Tanjung Priok received 28% of ships visiting Indonesia’s ports compared to 23% for Surabaya.

357 | Tanjung Priok (2) | Publisher: John Kappee | Circa: 1930

The Op ten Noort, seen here at Tanjung Priok, was delivered to the KPM shipping line (postcards 55 and 125) in 1927. As a passenger liner she was a frequent visitor to Bali and could accommodate 152 people in first class, 52 in second class and 2,365 in deck class. In December 1941, she was converted into a hospital ship by the Dutch Navy in anticipation of war with Japan but in 1942, was captured by the Japanese and her name changed to Teno Maru. She was scuttled by the Japanese around the time of their surrender in August 1945.

358 | Tanjung Priok (3) | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: Late 1920s 211

The new Tanjung Priok station was officially opened on 6 April 1925, the same date as the introduction of the first electric train service in Indonesia (from Jatinegara to Tanjung Priok). This new station replaced the first one which had operated from 1885 (postcard 62).

But unlike its predecessor, this station was built some distance away from the port at considerable inconvenience to travellers and when combined with the rising popularity of the motor car, it meant that it was underutilized from the first day it opened.

359 | Tanjung Priok (4) | Publisher: Katholiek Thuisfront | Postmarked: 28 December 1949

THE LATE 1940 S

A tragic and heart-rending scene of a homeless little boy in ragged clothing on Jalan Juanda in the late 1940s. From the brutal Japanese occupation of Indonesia that began in March 1942, through to the declaration of independence on 17 August 1945, followed

by Dutch attempts to regain control of their former colony before eventually acknowledging Indonesian sovereignty on 27 December 1949, severe shortages of food, clothing, medicines, petrol and other basic commodities were commonplace in Jakarta. One can only hope that the future for this little boy was much brighter than his pitiful childhood.

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360 | Little Boy on Jalan Juanda | Publisher: NIWIN Circa: Late 1940s

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361 | Dutch Women’s Corps at Jalan Juanda Publisher: W. van Hoeve | Circa: Late 1940s

362 | Dutch Soldiers at Pasar Baru Publisher: W. van Hoeve | Postmarked: 14 October 1949

After the Japanese surrender in August 1945, the Dutch government expected to resume its colonial rule of Indonesia despite the declaration of Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945. Dutch troops were sent to quell nationalist Indonesian forces and a four-year guerrilla war ensued. The Dutch Women’s Corps (better known by the Dutch acronym V.H.K.) seen here lining up for inspection in front of the Saint Maria School on Jalan Juanda (postcards 201-204) provided medical, administrative and communications support to the troops.

In the so-called “transition period” between the declaration of independence on 17 August 1945 and the international recognition of Indonesian sovereignty on 27 December 1949, the Dutch government twice launched military campaigns in Indonesia attempting to defeat nationalist forces and reassert their control over the country. These were the “police actions” of July 1947 and December 1948. Despite this, Dutch troops evidently still had time to enjoy shopping for fruit at Pasar Baru during a lull in the military activities.

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363 | Household Servants | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Dated: 31 December 1903

APPENDIX I

People, Work and Entertainment

W

hile the focus of this book has been the evolution of the physical landscape of Jakarta, postcards are also a rich source of social history and a revealing indicator of conditions and attitudes at the time. But while the postcards of buildings, shopping districts, commercial premises and infrastructure in Jakarta often depict the modern aspects of the colonial capital city, it is the postcards of the people that invariably highlight the traditional as well as the exotic for either the sender of the postcard or for the recipient who is not personally able to visit Jakarta. This is almost as if to reinforce that while Jakarta was a European colonial city, it was located in a tropical setting.

Jakarta during most of the first half of the 20th century was a Dutch colony and yet Europeans never comprised more than 10% of the population. Indigenous Indonesians made up 70%-75% of the inhabitants (higher in the 1930s and 1940s) and yet it is hard to find them in the main chapters of this book, which largely reveal a city shaped by mainly European and Chinese influences. “Inlandsche” (indigenous) Indonesians usually lived in villages on the fringes of the capital city of their own country as in postcards 400-403, where they are quaintly described as “Indonesian home and family”, “children in the village”, “coconut ‘thieves’” and “gramophone in the village”, somewhat distant and apart from formal Jakarta society.

Postcards typically defined indigenous Indonesians and Chinese by their trades and occupations such as seamstresses, barbers, itinerant salesmen, food and drink sellers, carpenters, gardeners and shoemakers.

They are especially prominent as domestic helpers and household servants, even quite directly stated as the generic “our servant” in postcard 421. They also appear as entertainers such as dancers, singers, actors and actresses.

The postcard captions show that there was a clear awareness of who were indigenously Indonesian and who were Chinese. Indeed, such racial distinctions were codified in law. We see the “Inlandsche” salesmen in postcards 374, 378 and 383 contrasting with the “Chinese” salesman, pork butchers, shoemaker and carpenters in postcards 375, 380, 384, 389 and 394.

There is also a distinction made between what is described as “Wayang Wong” (postcard 404) and therefore implicitly indigenous with what is differentiated as “Chinese Wayang Wong” in postcards 416 and 418.

The postcards reveal aspects of Jakarta’s past which are lost forever.

Postcards 366-367 depict batik artists at work. A 21st century reader might assume that these postcards portray scenes from Central Java and therefore don’t belong in this book. However, for many years there was a thriving batik industry in Jakarta, especially around Tanah Abang and Palmerah.

It is one example of Javanese traditions overlapping with capital city life in an earlier era in a way which is now no longer the case.

Old theatrical forms have vanished, such as the historically significant “Komedie Stambool” (or “Stamboel”) in postcard 405 which successfully reached multi-ethnic audiences across Indonesia by using Malay (that was spoken throughout most of Indonesia) as the language of performance rather than regional Indonesian dialects or foreign languages in an era before Bahasa Indonesia was the official national language.

Chinese Wayang (postcards 416-418), Wayang Senggol (postcard 407) and troupes of Wayang Wong performers (postcards 404 and 406) are almost never seen in Jakarta today, while Nayub or Ronggeng dancers (postcards 409 and 411), with their sensual overtones and gamelan accompaniment, are now rarities rather than frequently enjoyed entertainment. Kroncong (postcard 408) can still be found among traditional Betawi elements in Jakarta and was performed at Hotel Indonesia on a regular basis until as recently as the 1990s, but is now mainly seen on television.

But while some aspects of Jakarta’s past have been lost, the postcards also reveal how others have remained the same a century later. The fruit sellers with their pikulan (two baskets suspended from both ends of a bamboo pole and carried over the shoulder), the street barbers, drink vendors and sate sellers look very similar on the streets of Jakarta today to what they did a century ago and thus provide us with a little continuity from the city’s past into the modern era.

215

greetings from jakarta

216

364 | Seamstress | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

365 | Seamstress | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

366 | Batik Artists | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

367 | Batik Artists in Tanah Abang | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1930

appendix i: people, work and entertainment

217

368 | A Cook with Mother & Child Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

369 | Elderly Kitchen Maid Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

370 | Two Ladies “op visite” (Paying a Visit) Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Postmarked: 5 February 1909

371 | Coffee Sellers | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

greetings from jakarta

372 | Gardener Publisher: F. B. Smits Circa: 1900

373 | Vegetable Seller Publisher: F. B. Smits Circa: 1900

374 | Indonesian Salesman Publisher: F. B. Smits Circa: 1900

375 | Chinese Salesman Publisher: F. B. Smits Circa: 1900

218

appendix i: people, work and entertainment

376 | Fruit Seller Publisher: Visser & Co. Circa: 1900

377 | Fruit Seller Publisher: Visser & Co. Circa: 1905

219

378 | Indonesian Salesman Publisher: Visser & Co. Circa: 1905

379 | Iced Drink Seller Publisher: Hotel des Indes Circa: 1910

greetings from jakarta

380 | Chinese Pork Butcher | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

381 | Satay Sellers | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

382 | A Street Kitchen | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1910

383 | Indonesian Salesman | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

220

appendix i: people, work and entertainment

384 | Chinese Shoemaker | Publisher: J. M. Chs. Nijland | Circa: 1910

385 | Street Waterer | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905 221

386 | Snake Charmers | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1905

387 | Carriage Driver | Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1915

greetings from jakarta

388 | Solderers Publisher: F. B. Smits Circa: 1900

389 | Chinese Carpenters Publisher: F. B. Smits Circa: 1900

390 | Barber Publisher: F. B. Smits Circa: 1900

391 | Barber Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. Circa: 1909

222

appendix i: people, work and entertainment

392 | Rujak (Spicy Salad) Seller Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Circa: 1910

393 | Vegetable and Poultry Seller Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Circa: 1910

223

394 | Chinese Pork Butcher Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Circa: 1910

395 | Itinerant Labourer in Chinatown Publisher: Unknown Circa: May 1948

greetings from jakarta

396 | Durian Seller | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

397 | Chinese Shop | Publisher: Unknown | Circa: 1910

398 | Fruit Seller | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

399 | Pasar Senen | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1925

224

appendix i: people, work and entertainment

400 | Children in the Village | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

401 | Indonesian Home and Family Publisher: G. Kolff & Co. | Circa: 1909 225

402 | Coconut “Thieves” | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1900

403 | Gramophone in the Village Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1915

greetings from jakarta

404 | Wayang Wong | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

405 | Komedie Stambool | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Dated: 21 September 1907

406 | Wayang Wong | Publisher: H. M. van Dorp & Co. Postmarked: 30 August 1910

407 | Wayang Senggol | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1915

226

appendix i: people, work and entertainment

227

408 | Kroncong Dancers and Singers Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1915

409 | Nayub Dancer | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Postmarked: 27 February 1911

410 | Gamelan and Dancers | Publisher: Visser & Co. Postmarked: 16 May 1903

411 | Nayuban Dance Performance | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Postmarked: 7 December 1905

greetings from jakarta

228

412 | Chinese Festival | Publisher: F. B. Smits Postmarked: 2 July 1908

413 | Chinese Festival | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Postmarked: 17 February 1910

414 | Chinese Festival | Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1905

415 | Chinese Festival in Pasar Baru Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

appendix i: people, work and entertainment

229

416 | Chinese “Wayang Wong” Opera Publisher: J. C. Becker | Circa: 1915

417 | Chinese “Wayang Wong” Opera Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

418 | Chinese “Wayang Wong” Opera Publisher: J. C. Becker | Circa: 1915

419 | Chinese Gamblers Publisher: F. B. Smits | Dated: 28 November 1906

greetings from jakarta

230

420 | Indonesian Lady | Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Postmarked: 27 April 1912

421 | Indonesian Lady (Onze Baboe – Our Servant) Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Circa: 1910

422 | Household Servants Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Dated: 28 May 1913

423 | “The Hunt” (for Lice) Publisher: Tio Tek Hong | Dated: 9 December 1912

appendix i: people, work and entertainment

424 | Indonesian Beauty Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Circa: 1915

425 | Indonesian Beauty Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Circa: 1915

231

426 | Indonesian Beauties Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Circa: 1915

427 | Indonesian Beauty Publisher: Tio Tek Hong Circa: 1915

232

428 | Concordia Club, Harmonie Club & Gunung Sahari Canal | Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: December 1892

APPENDIX II

The Earliest Picture Postcards of Jakarta

P

ostcards originated in Europe in the 1860s and were first introduced in Holland in 1871, but with the post office having the sole right to produce them. It wasn’t until 1892 that a new Dutch postal law allowed picture postcards to be privately printed.

Sensing a business opportunity and apparently believing that a Dutch law also applied to Indonesia, the prominent firm of booksellers and printers, Visser & Co. (postcards 93-94) had a series of attractive Geillustreerde Briefkaarten (illustrated postcards) depicting views of Jakarta produced in Berlin and then advertised them for sale in the Java Bode newspaper on 16 December 1892 (see advertisement below). However, only fifteen days later on 31 December 1892, the Java Bode reported with an obvious tone of disappointment that the post office in Jakarta had refused to recognize their validity as postal items.

This first series of privately printed picture postcards of Jakarta is very rare and includes number 428 on the opposite page and also number 431 on the following page, and may have only been available for sale for two weeks in the second half of December 1892. The message “Groet uit Batavia” (Greetings from Batavia) was printed on them and they also featured photographic images made by the famous firm of photographers, Woodbury & Page, which operated in Jakarta from 1857 until 1908.

Visser & Co’s problems with the post office in 1892 appeared to have been resolved by the following year because in 1893, they were offering for sale lithographed multi-view postcards for the colonial exhibition which was held at Jakarta’s Botanical and Zoological Gardens (postcards 157-160) from 12 August until 19 November 1893. These postcards were available

in both green and brown (postcards 429-430). In the same year, Visser & Co. issued other multi-view postcards with views of Jakarta including postcards 437 and 438 which were especially popular for sending New Year greetings, judging by the fact that the handwritten message on both of them wish the recipients a very happy 1894. Visser & Co. produced similar postcards until at least 1898 (postcards 439-444) including one featuring the young Queen Wilhelmina that was presumably issued in 1898 to commemorate her coronation in that year (postcard 444).

In 1894, Albrecht & Rusche published a four-paneled postcard of Jakarta (postcard 432), while in 1897, a series of multi-coloured lithographed postcards showing rather crudely drawn images of Jakarta (among other scenes of Java) appeared (postcards 449-450) but the publisher is unknown. The trading firm, G. Hoppenstedt, began importing multi-view postcards that included photographs of Jakarta from at least 1897 (postcards 433-435 and 445-448). Jakarta’s leading bookseller and publisher, G. Kolff & Co. (postcards 90-92), advertised postcards of Jakarta for sale from as early as June 1898, but none have yet been found that can be reliably dated from 1898 or 1899 although both postcards 90 and 91 are very early and might be possible candidates.

Postcards of Jakarta featuring a single photographic view (as opposed to multiple views) would seem to have first appeared in 1899 with several publishers pursuing this initiative in the same year. Visser & Co. were typically at the forefront (postcards 10, 453-456 and 458), H. M. van Dorp & Co. (postcards 77 and 122) and also Gebr. van Straaten (postcard 459).

The bookbinder and picture framer, F. B. Smits (postcard 95) also entered the market in 1899 (postcard 460).

In addition, there are known to be early postcards that were published by hotels and businesses in Jakarta in the 1890s, such as postcard 457 showing the famous Hotel der Nederlanden (see also postcards 105-108 and 304-307), which was self-published for advertising purposes (and which features a lithograph based on a Woodbury & Page photograph).

233

greetings from jakarta

429 | Botanical and Zoological Gardens Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 7 October 1893

430 | Botanical and Zoological Gardens Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: August-November 1893

431 | Istana Merdeka, Ministry of Finance Building & Sunda Kelapa Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: December 1892

432 Military School, Gedung Kesenian J. P. Coen Statue & Jalan Veteran Canal Publisher: Albrecht & Rusche | Dated: December 1894

234

appendix ii: the earliest picture postcards of jakarta

433 | Town Hall, Resident’s House & Pasar Ikan Publisher: G. Hoppenstedt | Postmarked: 20 January 1899

434 | Kali Besar, Post Office & Grand Hotel Java Publisher: G. Hoppenstedt | Circa: 1899 235

435 | Pasar Baru & Kali Besar | Publisher: G. Hoppenstedt Circa: 1897 (but postmarked 20 January 1899)

436 | Jacatra Weg, Military Commander’s Residence & Prapatan Publisher: H. M. van Dorp & Co. | Dated: 9 April 1899

greetings from jakarta

437 | National Museum, Harmonie Club & Istana Merdeka Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 30 December 1893

438 | National Museum, Harmonie Club & Istana Merdeka Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: December 1893

439 | National Museum, Harmonie Club & Istana Merdeka Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 2 December 1895

440 | Ministry of Finance Building, J. P. Coen Statue & Freemasons’ Lodge Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 9 September 1895

236

appendix ii: the earliest picture postcards of jakarta

441 | Ministry of Finance Building, J. P. Coen Statue & Freemasons’ Lodge Publisher: Visser & Co. | Postmarked: 17 October 1895

442 | Concordia Club & Gedung Kesenian Publisher: Visser & Co. | Dated: 26 January 1898 237

443 | Concordia Club & Gedung Kesenian Publisher: Visser & Co. | Dated: 7 January 1896

444 | Ministry of Finance Building, Queen Wilhelmina & Freemasons’ Lodge Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1898

greetings from jakarta

445 | Concordia Club | Hotel Wisse & National Museum Publisher: G. Hoppenstedt | Dated: 28 November 1899

446 | Artesian Well, Aceh Monument & Hotel des Indes Publisher: G. Hoppenstedt | Circa: 1899

238

447 | Exhibits at the National Museum | Publisher: G. Hoppenstedt Circa: 1899 (but postmarked 20 March 1900)

448 | Eigen Hulp, Grand Hotel Java & Gedung Kesenian Publisher: G. Hoppenstedt | Circa: 1899

appendix ii: the earliest picture postcards of jakarta

449 | Hotel der Nederlanden “Tiffin Room” & Tanah Abang Publisher: Unknown | Postmarked: 27 October 1897

450 | Freemasons’ Lodge & Gunung Sahari Canal Publisher: Unknown | Dated: 9 January 1899 239

451 | Concordia Club, “Wayang Wong” & Gedung Kesenian Publisher: F. B. G. | Postmarked: 6 September 1901

452 | Tanjung Priok, Amsterdam Gate & Concordia Club Publisher: F. B. G. | Dated: 17 April 1900

greetings from jakarta

453 | Sunda Kelapa & Pasar Ikan | Publisher: Visser & Co. Circa: 1899 (but postmarked 13 March 1900)

454 | Tanjung Priok Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1899

455 | Town Hall Publisher: Visser & Co. | Dated: 27 November 1899

456 | Tanjung Priok Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1899

240

appendix ii: the earliest picture postcards of jakarta

241

457 | Hotel der Nederlanden Publisher: Probably Hotel der Nederlanden | Circa: 1890s

459 | Harmonie Club Publisher: Gebr. Van Straaten | Postmarked: 30 September 1899

458 | Michiels Monument Publisher: Visser & Co. | Circa: 1899 (but dated 18 January 1900)

460 | Ministry of Finance Building with J. P. Coen Statue Publisher: F. B. Smits | Circa: 1899 (but dated 17 April 1900)

APPENDIX III

Selected Old and New Street Names

242

Colonial Era Name

Modern Name

Colonial Era Name

Modern Name

Binnen Nieuwpoort Straat

Jalan Pintu Besar Utara

Pasar Pisang

Jalan Kali Besar Timur III

Buiten Nieuwpoort Straat

Jalan Pintu Besar Selatan

Patekoan

Jalan Perniagaan Raya

Citadel Weg

Jalan Veteran I

Pintoe Besi

Jalan Samanhudi

Djaga Monjet

Jalan Suryopranoto

Post Weg

Jalan Pos

EntrĂŠe Gondangdia

Jalan Cut Meutia

Prinsen Laan

Jalan Mangga Besar

Gang Chaulan

Jalan K. H. Hasyim Ashari

Prinsen Straat

Jalan Cengkeh

Gang Holle

Jalan Haji Agus Salim

Prioksche Weg

Jalan Laksamana Martadinata

Gang Ketapang

Jalan K. H. Zainul Arifin

Rijswijk

Jalan Veteran

Gang Pool

No longer exists

Rijswijkstraat

Jalan Majapahit

Gang Scott

Jalan Budi Kemuliaan

Sawah Besar

Jalan Sukarjo Wiryopranoto

Gang Secretarie

Jalan Veteran III

Tanah Abang Oost

Jalan Tanah Abang Timur

Gelderlandsche Weg

Jalan Mangga Dua

Tanah Abang West

Jalan Abdul Muis

Hertogs Laan

Jalan Pejambon

Theewater Straat

Jalan Teh

Hospitaal Weg

Jalan Dr. Abdul Rahman Saleh

Utrechtsche Straat

Jalan Kopi

Jacatra Weg

Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta

Van Heutsz Boulevard

Jalan Teuku Umar

Kali Besar Oost

Jalan Kali Besar Timur

Vrijmetselaars Weg

Jalan Budi Utomo

Kali Besar West

Jalan Kali Besar Barat

Waterlooplein Noord

Jalan Lapangan Banteng Utara

Kasteel Plein Weg

Jalan Tongkol

Waterlooplein Oost

Jalan Lapangan Banteng Timur

Komedie Buurt

Jalan Gedung Kesenian

Waterlooplein West

Jalan Lapangan Banteng Barat

Kongsi Besar

Jalan Perniagaan Timur

Waterlooplein Zuid

Jalan Lapangan Banteng Selatan

Koningsplein Noord

Jalan Medan Merdeka Utara

Weltevreden (district)

Koningsplein Oost

Jalan Medan Merdeka Timur

Koningsplein West

Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat

Koningsplein Zuid

Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan

Meester Cornelis (district)

Jatinegara (suburb)

The name given to the new southern district of Jakarta that was developed from around 1808 and included modern Medan Merdeka, Lapangan Banteng, Pasar Senen, Jalan Juanda and Jalan Veteran.

See the main introduction and also the introduction to Chapter Two.

Molenvliet Oost

Jalan Hayam Wuruk

Molenvliet West

Jalan Gajah Mada

Noordwijk

Jalan Juanda

Oranje Boulevard

Jalan Pangeran Diponegoro

Oude Tamarinde Laan

Jalan Wahid Hasyim

Please note that names which have not changed since the colonial era such as Pancoran, Pintu Kecil, Toko Tiga, Gunung Sahari, Pasar Baru, Pasar Senen, Pecenongan, Kebon Sirih, Prapatan, Kwitang, Cikini, Raden Saleh, Kramat, Salemba and Matraman have not been included in this list.

INDEX A Aab, Emil (postcard publisher) 100 Aceh Monument 93, 238 Adhi Karya 181 Adhuc Stat Freemasons’ Lodge 151, 199 Albrecht & Rusche (postcard publisher) 233-234 Alting, Carpentier 126 Amsterdam Canal 26 Amsterdam Gate 21, 26, 27, 33, 156, 160, 168, 178, 239 Ancol 210 ANETA 151, 190-191 Angke 41, 43, 49 Angke River 41, 49 ANTARA 191 Anton Justman Tobacco Company 70, 76-77 Apotheek Chung Hwa 163 army 13, 96, 98-101, 103, 115, 132 artesian wells 17, 57, 135, 141, 238 Arnhem Life Insurance Company 151, 183 Association of Christian Schools 125 Asuransi Jiwasraya 68 B Bakoel Koffie 170 banks Bank Indonesia 117, 183, 197 Bank Mandiri 71 Bank OCBC NISP 75 Bank Tabungan Negara 175 Bank UOB Buana 177 Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China 33, 151, 158, 159 Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation 19, 32, 158 Java Bank 19, 29, 154 National City Bank of New York 158 Netherlands Trading Company (NHM) 71, 151, 155 Postal Savings Bank (Postspaarbank) 151, 169, 175, 181 Bank Indonesia Museum 21, 154 Bank Mandiri Museum 36, 151, 155 BAPETEN (Nuclear Power Supervisory Agency) 45 BAPPENAS (National Economic Planning Board) 199 Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM) 190 Batik 129, 153, 215-216 Batavia East Railroad Company (BOS) 36, 139 Batavia Electric Tramway Company (BETM) 169 Batavian Society of Arts and Sciences (see also National Museum and Museum Nasional) 120121, 201

Batavia Sea & Fire Insurance Company 158 Bayer 163 Becker, J. C. (postcard publisher) 229 Behre, J. F. 145 Bendungan Hilir 17 Bergen, K. K. (postcard publisher) 164 Bernhard, Duke of Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach 103 Berretty, D. W. 190 Betawi 157, 215 Bina Graha 70, 80 Blavatsky, Helena 133 Blavatsky Park 133 Blomme, J. C. (postcard publisher) 31, 46, 61, 93, 102, 110, 117, 120 Botanical and Zoological Gardens 105-107, 208, 233, 234 Bowo, Fauzi 199 Breton de Nijs, E. 112 British American Tobacco (BAT) 76, 77 Bureau of Public Works 45 C Canadian Pacific Cruise Lines 168 Carrefour 61, 62, 173, 174 Cempaka Putih 17 Central Civic Hospital 202 China Film Co. 204 churches (gereja/kerk) Ayam (Haantjes) 122 Catholic cathedral 122, 123, 182, 192 Emmanuel (Willems, Imanuel) 122, 123, 200 Koinonia (Bethel) 114 New Dutch 121 Paulus 199 Sion 21, 46, 48 Cikini 106, 108-109, 125, 137, 202, 208, 242 Cikini Swimming Pool 208 Cilincing 55 Ciliwung River 22, 139 cinemas (see theatres) Coen, Jan Pieterszoon 96, 192, 234, 236, 237, 241 Concordia Military Club 59, 98, 102, 232, 237-239 Culemborg Tower 22-23, 152-153 D Daendels, Marshal Herman Willem 13, 95, 122 Danareksa 119 Deca Park 135 De Gedeh (postcard publisher) 166 de Graff-Kooman, Adriana Josina 108 de Klerk, Reinier 161 de Koning, M. 71 Department of Public Works 45 De Ster in het Oosten (The Star in the East) 133, 199

De Tabaksplant 68, 181 De Unie (postcard publisher) 171, 208 de Wit, Augusta 55 D I C P U Foto-Handel (postcard publisher) 178 Dinger, Jan 122 Djajanti Plaza 116 Djakarta Lloyd 34 Douwes Dekker, Ernest 137 drawbridges 21, 23, 25, 30-31 Dunlop, Eduard Willem 34, 179 Duta Merlin 61-62, 173-174 Dutch-Chinese Teacher Training Academy 203 Dutch Women’s Corps (V.H.K.) 213 E E. Dunlop & Co. 21, 34, 136, 142, 157, 179 Eigen Hulp 34, 151, 181, 238 electric trams 17, 33, 37, 47, 57, 61, 105, 110, 116, 151, 156, 162, 167, 169, 177-178, 196 Emma (Queen) 108, 129, 202 Erberveld, Pieter 21, 46, 161 F First Netherlands Life Insurance Company (ENLVM) 181 Foto Rivai (postcard publisher) 155 Freemasons 126, 133, 151, 199, 236–237, 239 G Gajah Mada Plaza 147, 170-171 Gambir 138, 145, 151, 196, 206-207 Gang Pool 79, 242 Gantvoort, J. M. 79 Garuda 183 Gatot Subroto Army Hospital 13, 98 Gedung Arsip (see also National Archives Building) 161 Gedung Boplo (Boplo Building) 104 Gedung Kesenian (see also theatres) 45, 91, 133, 234, 237-239, 242 Gedung Pancasila 103, 193 Gemeente Batavia (see also Jakarta City Council) 13, 200 Ghijsels, Frans 155 Glodok 11, 19, 21, 38, 40-41, 42, 44, 48, 57, 65, 162164, 166-168 Glodok Bridge 40 Glodok Plain 21, 40, 162 G. Kolff & Co. (postcard publisher) 16-17, 70, 72-74, 233 (additional postcards published by) 26, 32, 3435, 45, 47, 52, 61, 66, 71, 86, 91, 96, 104, 117-119, 123-124, 133, 139, 142, 153, 155, 165, 171, 175, 190, 196, 199, 202, 221-222, 225 Great Depression 149, 159, 189 Grogol 17

H Hamburg-American Line 39 Harmonie Club 59, 64-66, 69, 102, 105, 120, 174, 176-178, 232, 236, 241 Harmonie Plain 156, 177 Helmig & Co. (postcard publisher) 160, 176, 189, 181 Hertog’s Park (Duke’s Park) 103 Heuveldorp, L. 204 H. M. van Dorp & Co. (postcard publisher) 65, 88, 95, 226, 233, 235 Hoppenstedt, G. (postcard publisher) 233, 235, 238 Hotel Aryaduta 197 Astor 145, 146 Benvenuto (Monas) 117 Borobudur 99-100, 192 der Nederlanden 59, 62, 69, 80-82, 84, 151, 184185, 233, 239, 241 des Galeries (Ernst, Wisse) 144, 151, 177, 180 des Indes 59-63, 79-80, 82, 84, 97, 118, 143, 146, 151, 172-174, 180, 184, 219, 238 du Lion d’Or (Cavadino, Centraal, Park, Sriwijaya) 59, 144 Formule 1 208 Grand Hotel Java 59, 62, 69, 80, 82-85, 235, 238 Indonesia 62, 215 Koningsplein 145 Molenvliet 147 Ort 147 Pension Burghgraef 146 Villa Park 146 Weltevreden 170 Wisse (Ernst, des Galeries) 144, 180, 238 I IJK Kantoor 44 Istana Merdeka (Independence Palace) 67, 234, 236 Istana Negara (State Palace) 67 J Jacatraweg (see also Jalan Pangeran Jayakarta) 46 Jakarta City Council (see also Gemeente Batavia) 13, 15, 17, 104, 195, 200 Jakarta History Museum (see also Town Hall) 21, 27-29, 138, 156, 161 Jalan Abdul Muis 116, 242 Antara 88-89, 189-191 Asemka 36-38, 42, 155, 167 Bank 29, 33, 154 Budi Kemuliaan 117-118, 146, 242 Budi Utomo 124-125, 133 Bungur Besar 99

243

244

Cengkeh 26-28, 34, 156, 160, 242 Ciasem 137 Cidurian 137 Cikini Raya 125, 208 Cimandiri 137 Cisadane 137 Dr. Abdul Rahman Saleh 98, 242 Fachrudin 116 Gajah Mada 11, 15, 40, 44-45, 60-62, 65, 89, 116, 146-147, 156, 161, 169, 171, 173-175, 180181, 242 Gatot Subroto 17 Gedung Kesenian 133, 242 Gunung Sahari 47, 110-111, 145 Haji Agus Salim 119, 242 Hayam Wuruk 11, 15, 40, 44-45, 60, 65, 89, 116, 144, 170-171, 174, 180, 242 Jatinegara Barat 114 Jembatan Batu 33, 36-37 Jendral Sudirman 17, 30, 154 Juanda 11, 13, 16, 57, 59, 65, 68-77, 84, 127-128, 130, 138, 144, 180-183, 212-213, 242 Juanda III 68 Kali Besar Barat 30, 32-33, 38, 142, 158-159, 166, 242 Kali Besar Timur 30, 33-35, 72, 121, 158, 242 Kali Besar Timur III 30, 34-35, 242 Kartini 47 Kathedral 123 Kebahagiaan 49 Kebon Jeruk VII 171 Kebon Sirih 99, 117, 197 Kejayaan I 49 Kemenangan 48 Kemenangan III 48 Ketapang Utara I 171 K. H. Hasyim Ashari 146, 242 K. H. Zainul Arifin 140, 147, 170, 242 Kongsi Besar 167, 242 Kopi 30, 35, 159, 242 Kramat Bunder 99, 111, 205 Kramat Raya 111, 132, 196, 205 Krapu 25 Kwini 132 Kwitang 111, 196 Labu 40 Laksamana Martadinata 54, 242 Lapangan Banteng Barat 96-97, 242 Lapangan Banteng Selatan 99, 242 Lapangan Banteng Timur 94-97, 102, 242 Lapangan Banteng Utara 123, 191, 242 Majapahit 13, 34, 59, 64-66, 84, 144, 176-179, 242 Malaka 33, 142, 159 Mangga Besar 45, 47, 242 Mangga Dua 46, 48, 242 Matraman Raya 114-115, 135 Medan Merdeka Barat 117, 119, 120-121, 133, 136-137, 201, 206, 242 Medan Merdeka Selatan 117-119, 200, 206, 242 Medan Merdeka Timur 90, 123, 126-127, 138, 140, 190, 196, 200, 242 Medan Merdeka Utara 57, 67, 82, 242 Menteng Raya 197, 199 Pancoran 40, 42, 44, 162-165

Pangeran Diponegoro 125, 242 Pangeran Jayakarta 46, 48, 161, 235, 242 Pasar Glodok Selatan 40, 162 Pasar Senen 110-111, 194 Pecenongan 75, 242 Pejambon 103, 193, 200, 242 Pekojan Raya 43, 49 Pembangunan II 147 Perniagaan Barat 41, 43 Perniagaan Raya 21, 43, 242 Perniagaan Timur 167, 242 Perwira 92, 96-97, 190 Petak Baru 38, 41-42 Petongkangan 38, 41 Pinangsia 40 Pintu Air 86, 88-90, 93, 134, 189, 205 Pintu Besar Selatan 36-37, 44, 162, 242 Pintu Besar Utara 29, 34-37, 80, 154-155, 157, 242 Pintu Kecil 38-39, 42, 164, 166 Pos 88-90, 93, 127, 129-130, 242 Prapatan 99, 111, 197 Raden Saleh 202 Rasuna Said 17 Ridwan Rais 197 Salemba Raya 112-113, 125 Samanhudi 122, 242 Senen Raya 110-111 Sukarjo Wiryopranoto 170, 242 Sultan Agung 209 Tanah Abang Timur 116, 242 Teh 35, 157, 242 Telepon Kota 142, 166 Teuku Umar 105, 198, 242 Thamrin 17, 30, 62, 154, 193, 197 Toko Tiga 39, 42-43, 164 Toko Tiga Seberang 42 Tongkol 25-26, 242 Tubagus Angke 41, 43, 49 Veteran 13, 16, 57, 59, 64-65, 67-71, 74, 79-80, 82, 84, 93, 144, 176, 182-184, 234, 242 Veteran I 144, 242 Veteran III 70, 242 Wahid Hasyim 15, 196, 242 Japanese Occupation (1942-45) 4, 96-97, 149, 161, 188, 192, 207, 212 Jasa Raharja 158 Jatinegara (see also Meester Cornelis) 13, 15, 54, 59, 100, 112, 114-115, 132, 135, 138-139, 143, 156, 168, 203, 211, 242 Java Bode 171, 233 Java-China-Japan Line 158 Jembatan Lima 49, 167 Jenne & Co. 182 Jin De Yuan Temple (Guan Yin Temple/Temple of Golden Virtue) 48 Juliana (Princess) 130, 192 K Kali Besar 11, 19, 21, 30-35, 37-39, 57, 68, 72, 121, 142, 154, 158-159, 164, 166, 235, 242 Kali Besar Canal 30-31, 35, 38-39, 154, 159, 164 Kali Djelakeng 43 Kappee, John (postcard publisher) 210 Karet 17

Kasima (postcard publisher) 152, 156 Katholiek Thuisfront (postcard publisher) 211 Kebayoran Baru 17, 114 Kebon Jeruk 15, 171 Kebon Sirih 13, 99, 117, 197, 242 Kelapa Gading 17 Kemang 17 Kemayoran 139 Ketapang 15, 140, 171, 242 Kimia Farma 133 King of Siam 201 King’s Square (see also Koningsplein) 11 Klerk, Reinier de 161 KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij) 183 Komedie Stambool 215, 226 Komite Nasional Indonesia Pusat (Indonesian National Central Committee) 91 Koningin Wilhelmina School (Queen Wilhelmina School) 124 Koningsplein (see also Medan Merdeka) 11, 145, 242 KPM (Koninklijke Paketvaart Maatschappij) 50-53, 89-90, 93, 193, 211 Kramat 99, 111, 119, 132, 156, 196, 205, 242 Kramat Apotheek 111, 196 Kramat Bridge 111 Kroncong 215, 227 Kuck Sports Company 189 Kunstkring (Arts Circle) 105, 198 L Lapangan Banteng (see also Waterlooplein) 11, 13, 57, 59, 93-100, 102, 115, 123, 191-192, 199, 242 Liauw Tek Siong 170 Lie Tek Long (postcard publisher) 45 Lindeteves-Stokvis 44 Lindeteves Trade Centre 44 Loa Po Seng & Co. (postcard publisher) 113 M Malik, Adam 191 Mangga Besar 15, 45, 47, 242 Mangga Dua 46, 48, 160, 242 Manggarai 139, 209 Manggarai Swimming Pool 209 Maros (postcard publisher) 163 Mars and Minerva statues 26-27 Matahari 187 Medan Merdeka (see also Koningsplein) 11, 13, 57, 67, 82, 90, 93, 117-121, 123, 126-127, 133, 135-138, 140-141, 143, 145-146, 190, 196, 200-201, 206, 242 Meertens, F. A. 147 Meester Cornelis (see also Jatinegara) 13, 15, 100, 114, 135, 156, 242 Menara Balai Kota DKI (Jakarta City Hall Tower) 200 Menteng 15, 17, 57, 104-105, 119, 151, 196-199 Michiels, Major General Andreas Victor 96-97, 241 Michiels Monument 96-97, 241 Military Commander’s Residence 98, 103, 123, 193, 235 Ministry of Finance 57, 71, 94-97, 102, 192, 234, 236-237, 241 Ministry of Religion 97

Moens, Adriaan 172 Moenswijk 172 Molenvliet 11, 13, 147, 242 Molenvliet East (see also Jalan Hayam Wuruk) 11, 242 Molenvliet West (see also Jalan Gajah Mada) 11, 242 mosques (mesjid/masjid) Cut Meutia 104-105 Istiqlal 92-93, 97, 193 Jami’ Al Mubarak (Krukut) 49 Krukut (Jami’ Al Mubarak) 49 Langgar Tinggi 49 Museum Bahari (Martime Museum) 24, 153 Museum Nasional (National Museum) 119-121, 201-202, 236, 238 N National Archives Building (see also Gedung Arsip) 161 National Art Gallery 126 National Library 124 National Museum (Museum Nasional) 119-121, 201-202, 236, 238 Netherlands India Steam Navigation Company 52 Netherlands India Travel Office (Nitour) 177 Netherlands Indies Gas Company 140 Netherlands Indies Life Insurance and Annuity Company (NILLMIJ) 68, 182 Netherlands Indies Publicity Bureau (postcard publisher) 86, 94, 97, 120 Netherlands Indies Railway Company (NIS) 138139 Netherlands Indies Sports Company 136-137 Netherlands Indies Tramway Company (NITM) 168-169 Netherlands Lloyd 156 Netherlands Steam Navigation Company 167 Netherlands Trading Company (NHM) 71, 151, 155 New Gondangdia (see also Menteng) 104-105 Nijland, J. (postcard publisher) 52 Nijland, J. M. Chs. (postcard publisher) 221 Nikko (postcard publisher) 183 NILLMIJ (see also Netherlands Indies Life Insurance and Annuity Company) 68, 182 NIWIN (postcard publisher) 194, 212 N.V. de Bouwploeg 104-105 Nyonya Meneer 188 O Official Tourist Bureau (postcard publisher) 59, 68, 78-79 Office of Weights and Measures 44 Oger Freres 65-66, 177, 179 OLVEH 21, 34-35 Onderlinge Hulp 71, 181 Opium 113 Opium Factory 113 Outer City Canal 166 P Palmerah 17, 143, 215

Pasar Baru 16, 59, 86-91, 93, 134, 151, 186-189, 191, 195, 204, 205, 213, 228, 235, 242 Gambir 206, 207 Glodok 40, 162-163 Ikan 11, 22, 24, 152-153, 195, 235, 240 Pagi 41, 167 Pisang 35, 242 Rumput 209 Senen 13, 54, 59, 86, 110-111, 116, 132, 134-135, 139, 194-196, 200, 224, 242 Tanah Abang 86, 195 Paviljoen, Anthonij 94 Pejompongan 17 Pekojan 43, 49 Pertamina 127, 190 Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) 140 Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) 140 Petit Trouville 55 Petojo 15 Petuakan 43 PGI Cikini Hospital 108-109, 202 Pintu Air 86, 88-90, 93, 134, 189, 205 Pintu Besar 11, 19, 29, 34-37, 44, 80, 154-155, 157, 162, 242 Pintu Kecil 11, 21, 38-39, 42, 164, 166, 242 Plaza Atrium 110 Pondok Indah 17 post office 90, 191 Prapatan 13, 15, 99, 111, 117-118, 141, 197, 235, 242 Prince Hendrik Citadel (Military Citadel) 92, 99, 193 Princess Juliana School 130, 192 Puri Indah 17 Pusat Tekstil Pintu Kecil (Pintu Kecil Textile Centre) 42, 166 Q Queen Emma Hospital (see PGI Cikini Hospital) R Raden Saleh 106, 108, 202, 242 Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor Thomas Stamford 13, 64, 80, 115, 120 Ragunan 107 railway stations Batavia Noord (North Batavia) 36, 155 Batavia Zuid (South Batavia) 36, 37, 41, 155 BOS Jatinegara (Rawah Bangke) 139 Gambir 138, 145, 151, 196 Jakarta Kota 36, 139, 151, 155 Manggarai 139, 209 NIS Jatinegara 139 Rawah Bangke (BOS Jatinegara) 139 Sawah Besar 138 South Batavia (Batavia Zuid) 36, 37, 41, 155 Tanjung Priok 54, 151, 211 Rathkamp & Co. 178 Rawamangun 17

restaurants Café Batavia 28, 34, 157 First Batavia Beer Hall 69 Furama 170 Maison Versteeg 69, 183 Rikkers 69 Stam & Weyns 69 Tiong Hoa 165 Toko Oen 69 Royal Netherlands-Indies Air Navigation Company 173 S Sadikin, Ali 28, 153 Saint Joseph Foundation 132 Salemba 112-113, 118, 124-125, 242 Sawah Besar 15, 138, 242 Schlieper, Carl 36 schools Broeder School (Brother School) 127 Canisius College 199 Carpentier Alting Foundation (CAS) 126 Groote Klooster (Large Convent) 130 King Willem III School 112, 124 Kleine Klooster (Small Convent) 130 Queen Wilhelmina School 124 Saint Maria School (Queen Emma School) 59, 128-129 Saint Ursula School (Princess Juliana School) 59, 129-132 Salemba Institute 112, 125 State Junior High School Number 1 125 State Junior Vocational School Number 1 124 Senen 13, 54, 59, 86, 110-111, 114, 116, 132, 134-135, 139, 194-196, 200, 224, 242 Senen, Cornelis 114 Setiabudi 137 Setiabudi, Danudirja (see Douwes Dekker, Ernest) Shimane, K. (postcard publisher) 33, 37, 40, 42-43, 60, 134, 140 ships Cleveland 39 De Klerk 53 Imaji Maru 53 Karang 52 Reael 53 Teno Maru 211 Smits, F. B. (postcard publisher) 16-17, 73-75, 233 (additional postcards published by) 22-24, 39, 41, 48-49, 60, 64-65, 67, 88-89, 94, 96, 101, 103, 111, 128, 136-138, 141, 144, 214, 216, 218, 220, 222, 225, 228-229, 241 State Railways 104, 145, 155 stations (see railway stations) St. Carolus Hospital 202 steam trams 21, 28-29, 36-37, 60-61, 112, 114, 135, 151, 156, 168-169, 176, 178 Suez Canal 19, 51, 78 Sukarno 91, 149

Sunda Kelapa 11, 19, 22-25, 51, 116, 138, 152-153, 160, 234, 240 Sunter 17, 210 T Taman Cut Meutia 198 Fatahillah 11, 19, 21, 27-28, 138, 156-157, 161-162 Ismail Marzuki (see Botanical and Zoological Gardens) Kebon Sirih 197 Prasasti 96, 161 Suropati 199 Wijaya Kusuma 92-93, 193 Tambora 49 Tanah Abang 13, 15, 41, 86, 96, 105, 116-117, 134, 146, 161, 195-196, 215-216, 239, 242 Tanjung Priok 11, 19, 22, 44, 51-55, 143, 151–152, 209-211, 239-240 Tazaki, A. R. (postcard publisher) 174 Tebet 17 Tek Sun Ho 170 telephone service 142-143 Telkom 142 Thamrin, Mohammad Husni 193 theatres (cinemas) Capitol (Rembrandt) 205 Casino (Centrale) 135 Chung Hoa 165 Deca Park 135 Elite 134, 205 Flora 134 Gedung Kesenian (Schouwburg) 45, 91, 133, 234, 237-239, 242 Globe 204-205 Kramat (Rex, Grand) 205 Luna Park 165 Orion 165 Shanghai 165 Thalia 45 West Java 134 Theosophy Society Lodge 133, 136 Tio Tek Hong (postcard publisher) 16-17, 73-74, 87, 134, 188-189 (additional postcards published by) 23, 25, 28-29, 40, 41, 44, 46, 49, 54, 64, 66, 69-71, 75, 80-81, 93, 98-100, 102-104, 106-107, 115-116, 121-122, 124-125, 128-133, 135, 137, 139-140, 143, 147, 217, 223-231 Toko Centrum 73 Toko Merah 33 Toko Tiga 11, 21, 39, 42-43, 164, 242 Tomang 17 Town Hall (see also Jakarta History Museum) 21, 27-29, 36, 138, 155-156, 235, 240 tram lines 26, 33, 40, 47, 110, 112, 114, 135, 157, 160, 167, 194 trams (see also electric trams and steam trams) TransJakarta Busway 174 Trense & Hesselmann (postcard publisher) 114 Tugu Tani 141, 197

U Ursuline Order (see schools: Groote Klooster, Kleine Klooster, Saint Maria School, Saint Ursula School) V van den Bosch, Johannes 99, 117 den Bosch Defence Line 99, 117 der Grinten, Pastor H. 132 der Wijck, Jonkheer Carel Herman Aart 67 Dorp & Co. (postcard publisher) 65, 88, 95, 226, 233, 235 Heutsz, General J. B. 151, 198, 242 Hoeve, W. (postcard publisher) 213 Hoevell, Dr. W. R. Baron 121 Straaten, Gebr. (postcard publisher) 233, 241 Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (Dutch East Indies Trading Company or VOC) 4, 11, 13, 21, 22, 24-26, 29, 30, 33, 35, 37-38, 40, 46, 48, 89, 94, 96, 116, 121, 123, 133, 153-154, 160-161, 166-167, 172, 192 Vesta (postcard publisher) 209 Vincentius Institution 132 Vinck, Justinus 110, 116 VIOS Football Field 137 Visser & Co. (postcard publisher) 16-17, 73-74, 233 (additional postcards published by) 26-27, 30, 35-36, 47, 51, 53-55, 62, 67, 79, 89-92, 95, 105, 107, 109-114, 123, 125-127, 130, 141-142, 144, 154, 174, 198, 206, 210, 219-221, 224, 227, 232, 234, 236-237, 240-241 VOC (see Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie) VOC Warehouses 21, 25 Volksraad (People’s Council) 103, 193 Vrancken, Monsignor 128 W Waterloo Monument 94, 97, 192 Waterlooplein (see also Lapangan Banteng) 94, 242 Wayang 121, 157, 215, 226, 229, 239 Wayang Museum 121, 157 Weltevreden 11, 13, 17, 21, 57, 65, 72, 85-86, 94, 123, 143, 146, 170, 242 Westside Warehouses 24, 153 Wilhelmina Park (Taman Wijaya Kusuma) 92-93, 193.

Wilhelmina Pavilion 102 Wilhelmina (Queen) 59, 92, 102, 107, 124, 129, 206, 233, 237 Willem I (King) 71, 123, 155, 200 Willem III (King) 112, 124, 129 Woodbury & Page 70, 233 World War I 17, 90, 101, 103, 207 World War II 15 Y Yacht Club 209

245

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY 13-jaarig bestaan ANETA, Weltevreden, Persbureau ANETA, 1931.

40 Jaar Postspaarbank in Nederlandsch-Indie, Batavia, De Directie der Postspaarbank in Nederlandsch-Indie, 1938.

1930 Handbook of the Netherlands East-Indies, Batavia, Department of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, 1930.

Abeyasekere, Susan, Jakarta: A History, Singapore, Oxford University Press, 1990.

Akihary, Huib, Architectuur & Stedebouw in Indonesie 1870-1920, Zutphen, De Walburg Pers, 1990. _______, Ir. F. J. L. Ghijsels: Architect in Indonesia, Utrecht, Seram Press, 1996.

Batavia als Handels-, Industrie- en Woonstad, Batavia, G. Kolff & Co., 1937.

246

Beekman, E. M., editor, Fugitive Dreams, Amherst, University of Massachusetts Press, 1988. _______, Troubled Pleasures, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1996.

Boomgaard, Peter and Brown, Ian, editors, Weathering the Storm, Leiden, KITLV Press and Singapore, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2000.

Bosma, Ulbe and Raben, Remco, Being “Dutch” in the Indies, Singapore, NUS Press, 2008.

Carlson, Sevinc, Indonesia’s Oil, Colorado, Westview Press, 1977.

Cohen, Matthew Isaac, The Komedie Stamboel, Ohio, Ohio University Press, 2006.

Gedenkboekje uitgegeven bij de opening van onze nieuwe ateliers te Weltevreden Petjenongan 72, Batavia, G. Kolff & Co., 1922.

Gelink, J. M. B., 50 Jaar N. V. Hotel des Indes Batavia, Batavia, Koninklijke Drukkerij De Unie, 1948.

Gids voor Djakarta, Petundjuk Djakarta, Djakarta, N.V. Uitgevers Mij. and Joh. M. Grenzenberg N. V., c. 1950s.

Govaars, Ming, Dutch Colonial Education, Singapore, Chinese Heritage Centre, 2005.

Grant, Stephen, Former Points of View, Jakarta, Lontar Foundation, 1995.

Haks, Leo and Wachlin, Steven, 500 Early Postcards of Indonesia, Singapore, Archipelago Press, 2004.

Heuken, Adolf and Pamungkas, Grace, Menteng: ‘Kota Taman’ Pertama di Indonesia, Jakarta, Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka, 2001.

Heuken, Adolf, Mesjid-mesjid tua di Jakarta, Jakarta, Yaysasan Cipta Loka Caraka, 2003. _______, Gereja-gereja tua di Jakarta, Jakarta, Yaysasan Cipta Loka Caraka, 2003. _______, Historical Sites of Jakarta, Jakarta, Yaysasan Cipta Loka Caraka, 2007. _______, Medan Merdeka – Jantung Ibukota RI, Jakarta, Yaysasan Cipta Loka Caraka, 2008. _______, Gereja-Gereja Bersejarah di Jakarta, Jakarta, Erlangga, 2009.

Holtorf, Gunter W., Jakarta Street Atlas & Names Index, Jakarta, Periplus, 2005.

Cribb, Robert, editor, The Late Colonial State in Indonesia, Leiden, KITLV Press, 1994.

JAKARTA: 50 tahun dalam Pengembangan dan Penataan Kota, Jakarta, Pemerintah Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta, 1995.

Diessen, J. R. van and Voskuil, R. P. G. A., Boven Indie, Purmerend, Asia Maior, 1993.

Jong, Michiel van Ballegoijen de, Spoorwegstations op Java, Amsterdam, De Bataafsche Leeuw, 1993.

Djakarta Membangun, Daerah Chusus Ibukota Djakarta, Djakarta, 1972.

Lindeboom, Lucas, Oude K.P.M.-Schepen van ‘Tempo Doeloe’, Bilthoven, Maritieme Stichting, 1993. Volumes 1, 2 and 9.

Duparc; H. J. A., Trams en Tramlijnen, De Elektrische Stadtrams op Java, Rotterdam, Uitgevers WYT, 1972.

Macmillan, Allister, Seaports of the Far East, London, W. H. & L. Collingridge, 1925.

Merrillees, Scott, BATAVIA in Nineteenth Century Photographs, Singapore, Archipelago Press, 2000.

Nas, J. M. editor, The Indonesian Town Revisited, Munster, Lit Verlag and Singapore, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2002.

Nederlandsch-Indische Tramweg Maatschappij 1881-1921, Batavia, NederlandschIndische Tramweg Maatschappij, 1921.

Nieuwenhuys, Rob, compiled by, Memory and Agony, Boston, Twayne Publishers, 1979. _______, Mirror of the Indies, Amherst, University of Massachusetts Press, 1982.

Nijs, E. Breton de, Faded Portraits, Massachusetts, University of Massachusetts Press, 1982.

Official Guide to Eastern Asia, Vol. 5: East Indies, Tokyo, Imperial Government Railways of Japan, 1917.

Papineau, Aristide J. G., Papineau’s Guide to Jakarta, Singapore, Andre Publications, 1973.

Petundjuk Telepon Djakarta - Telefoongids Batavia No. 159, Batavia, G. Kolff & Co., May 1948.

Penundjuk Telepon - Telefoongids Djakarta No. 162, Djakarta, G. Kolff & Co., March 1950.

Penundjuk Telepon - Telefoongids Djakarta No. 163, Djakarta, G. Kolff & Co., January 1951.

Penundjuk Telepon Djakarta No. 164, Djakarta, G. Kolff & Co., August 1952.

Ravesteijn, Wim and Kop, Jan, editors, For Profit and Prosperity, Zaltbommel, Aprilis and Leiden, KITLV Press, 2008.

Rush, James R., Opium to Java, Ithaca, Cornell University Press, 1990.

Starr, Peter, Citibank: A Century in Asia, Singapore, Editions Didier Millet, 2002.

Telefoongids Batavia No. 141, Weltevreden, G. Kolff & Co., September 1936.

Tio Tek Hong, Keadaan Jakarta Tempo Doeloe, Sebuah Kenangan 1882-1959, Jakarta, Masup Jakarta, 2006.

Tjasmadi, HM. Johan, 100 Tahun Sejarah Bioskop di Indonesia, Bandung, PT Megindo Tunggal Sejahtera, 2008.

Verslag van den Toestand der Gemeente Batavia over 1912, Weltevreden, Filiaal Albrecht & Co., 1913.

Verslag van den Toestand der Gemeente Batavia over 1917, Weltevreden, Boekh.

Visser & Co., 1919.

Voskuil, R. P. G. A., Batavia: Beeld van een Stad, Purmerend, Asia Maior, 1993.

Vletter, M. E. de, et al, Batavia/Djakarta/Jakarta, Beeld van een metamorphose, Purmerend, Asia Maior, 1997.

Vries, H. M. de, The Importance of Java Seen from the Air, Batavia, H. M. de Vries, 1928.

Vries, J. J. de, Jaarboek van Batavia en Omstreken 1927, Weltevreden, G. Kolff & Co., 1927.

Witt, Augusta de, Java: Facts and Fancies, Singapore, Oxford University Press, 1987.

Wright, Arnold, editor, Twentieth Century Impressions of Netherlands India, London, Lloyd’s Greater Britain Publishing Company, 1909.

Yearbook of the Netherlands East-Indies Edition 1920, Buitenzorg, Department of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce, 1920.

Zee, D. van der, BATAVIA: The Queen of the East, Rotterdam, Dr. Gustav Schueler, circa mid-1920s.

247

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

M

248

y journey of discovery into Jakarta’s past has been greatly assisted and made all the more enjoyable by having the pleasure of knowing: Leo Haks – my mentor for all things collecting, researching and publishing for the past two decades; Father Adolf Heuken – the doyen of Jakarta’s historians without whom our knowledge of Jakarta’s history would be so much poorer; Steven Wachlin – for his warm generosity in sharing his research into the early history of the postcards of Indonesia; Han Kian Lim – for his eye for detail and his kind hospitality in Holland; Hans van der Kamp – for the touching gift of the very early Visser & Co. postcard from 1892 on page 232; Wong Jie Fung – my brother-in-law, for introducing me to the Glodok of his childhood; Stephen Grant – for passing the “postcard torch” to me in Jakarta in September 1995; Herman & Ai May Darmawan – for our memorable journey through Pasar Baru’s past; Jeffry Samudra – for his warm hospitality in Jakarta and for sharing the joys of postcard collecting; Geoff Edwards, David & Elizabeth Dawborn, Mark Hanusz, Dewi Muharam, Jeremy Wagstaff and the late Hans Groot – for their friendship and support and for helping to make this book a reality; Ade Purnama – for bringing the thrill of pursuing Jakarta’s history to the people of Jakarta through Sahabat Museum and to the Reverend Jon Cox – for our historic swims at the old Cikini pool.

I would also like to express my thanks to the many people of Jakarta whom I encountered during the hundreds of hours I spent walking around Jakarta’s streets over the past fifteen years while doing some of the research for this book. I am very grateful for your friendly warmth and openness and for your willingness to share your Jakarta with me.

As an additional acknowledgement for the 2019 edition, I would like to extend special thanks to Sven Verbeek Wolthuys whose eagle eye and great attention to detail enabled the discovery of several errors that had previously gone unnoticed.

Finally, my deepest appreciation to my wonderful wife Theresia and to my children, Maxi and Nicole, for their love and patience and understanding (and sometimes even their encouragement) as I pursued my passion for Jakarta’s history. Jakarta has been our city too with so many happy family times spent here together. Thank you so very much.