Coloured footage of Batavia/Jakarta from before World War II is rare, very rare. American moviegoers could experience the world in colour in the late 1930s, thanks to James Anthony FitzPatrick (1894-1980) who travelled the world for his series “The Voice of the Globe”. Using his Technicolor camera he captured picturesque sites and the few-minute long narratives were shown in the cinema just before the main movie.
His simple, straightforward looks at what was best and most interesting in a location allowed a generation of moviegoers to experience the world from their hometown moviehouses. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer distributed the series under the umbrella title “FitzPatrick Traveltalks.” The first colour film was shot in 1934 and called “Holland in Tulip Time”. FitzPatrick visited Java with his Technicolor camera twice: in 1937 and 1939. The 1939 footage shows Batavia/Jakarta with the Sunda Kelapa harbour, Pasar Ikan, the Amsterdam Gate and Molenvliet. There is also a short section at the end where he visits Buitenzorg/Bogor.
Dutch King Willem Alexander is currently on a state visit in Indonesia. His grandmother Queen Juliana (1909-2004) was the first Dutch monarch to visit Indonesia, in August 1971. This after President Soeharto and his wife had visited the Netherlands the year before. The reception in Jakarta was overwhelming and moving. The Queen and Prince Bernhard became close friends with President Soeharto and his wife. At the end of the video Queen Juliana describes her experiences of this unforgettable visit.
A series of 18 unique pictures, showing Jakarta in November 1965. The photographs were taken by Co Rentmeester (1936- ), a professional Dutch rower who, after he joined the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, moved to the United States to study photography at the Art Center College in Los Angeles.
Rentmeester initially started his career as a freelance photographer in 1965 for LIFE Magazine. Between late 1965 and 1969 Rentmeester was in Asia. where he particularly covered the Vietnam war. One of his pictures showed an M48 tank gunner looking through a gunsight. It was selected as World Press Photo of the Year and notably it was the first colour photograph to win the award. He was in Jakarta following the 1965 coup attempt, and also in Hong Kong during the extensive civil disturbances in 1967.
After Rentmeester was wounded by a Vietcong sniper near Saigon, he returned to the U.S. in 1972. His 1965 pictures from a travel through Indonesia were shown in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and Asia House, New York. The 1965 photo report of Jakarta shows a city, apparently unmoved by the recent coup attempt.
Jalan Hayam Wuruk (left) and Jalan Gajah Mada (right), looking into a southerly direction. We see a group of washing ladies and children on the side of the canal, that was known as Molenvliet in colonial days [source: TIME LIFE].Another view of Jalan Hayam Wuruk (left) and Jalan Gajah Mada (right), further to the south in comparison to the previous picture [source: TIME LIFE].Jalan Hayam Wuruk (right) and Jalan Gajah Mada (left), looking into a northerly direction. Until 1960 a tram line ran on the side of Jalan Gajah Mada, which connected Jakarta Kota with Taman Harmoni, the plain in front of society De Harmonie [source: TIME LIFE].A lot of activity along the side of Jalan Hayam Wuruk (right of the trees). The bridge leads to Jalan Gajah Mada on the left. We are looking into a northerly direction [source: TIME LIFE].The characteristic washing ladies along the former Molenvliet canal on the side of Jalan Gajah Mada, a scene that disappeared from the 1970s onwards [source: TIME LIFE].Close up of the washing ladies and passing cars along Jalan Gajah Mada [source: TIME LIFE].Children posing on the corner of Jalan Gajah Mada and Jalan Kesejateraan, looking north [source: TIME LIFE].A gathering on Jalan Pejambon, looking into a westerly direction. In the distance Gedung Pancasila (the former Volksraad building), with the former Raad van Indië building behind it, and in the far distance we can see part of Gereja Immanuel (former Willemskerk) too [source: TIME LIFE].View from Lapangan Banteng (the former Waterlooplein), with the Irian Jaya Liberation Monument in the front middle. It was unveiled only two years before this photograph was taken. In the distance MONAS, the National Monument on Medan Merdeka. The smaller white tower just right of it, is part of the Pertamina offices (the former BPM) on the corner of Medan Merdeka Timur and Jalan Perwira [source: TIME LIFE].MONAS, the National Monument in the centre of Medan Merdeka. The structure itself was completed in the year of this photograph, although it would still remain closed to the public for another 10 years. We see some scaffolding across the base of the monument. Left of it, in the distance, the Istiqlal Mosque under construction. Behind the monument we also see part of the Jakarta Cathedral, which dates back to 1901 [source: TIME LIFE].An aerial photograph showing the area north of Medan Merdeka, with part of the district Sawah Besar on the foreground. An experienced eye notices Jalan Veteran (formerly Rijswijk) and Jalan Juanda (formerly Noordwijk) halfway towards Medan Merdeka. On the other end of Medan Merdeka, in the far distance, the buildings along the south side of the square in Central Jakarta [source: TIME LIFE].A view from the northeast towards Medan Merdeka in the distance, with the just completed structure of MONAS, the National Monument. In the far distance the skeleton of Wisma Nusantara under construction. On the left centre of the photo we recognise the Jakarta Cathedral [source: TIME LIFE].The roundabout with fountain on the intersection Medan Merdeka Selatan (left), Medan Merdeka Barat (behind the photographer), Jalan Budi Kemuliaan (right) and Jalan Thamrin (in the front). We are looking south with part of the new Bank Indonesia building on the right. On the left the characteristic building which is now the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, but was opened in 1938 as the offices of the Koloniale Petroleum Maatschappij [source: TIME LIFE].Another view of the fountain of the intersection, this time taken from the southern end of Medan Merdeka Barat, looking south with the buildings on Jalan Thamrin [source: TIME LIFE].The southern end of Jalan Thamrin and the start of Jalan Sudirman, with the Welcome Monument in the middle. On the left a part of Hotel Indonesia, opened 3 years before this photograph was taken. On the right side of the photo part of the skeleton of Wisma Nusantara, which would not be completed until 1973 [source: TIME LIFE].Looking along the northern end of Jalan Sudirman towards the Welcome Monument, a bit further south than the previous photograph. Buildings on both sides of this main thoroughfare were still low rise, a sharp contrast with today’s situation [source: TIME LIFE].The Welcome Monument, with Hotel Indonesia behind it. The hotel was opened in 1962, only 3 years before this photograph was taken. In 1965 one could still see becaks in this area of Jakarta [source: TIME LIFE].A lively scene in Jakarta, most likely taken in Kota. We could not identify the exact location of this photograph, however if you know… please let us know! [source: TIME LIFE]
Jalan Menteng Raya 27 in 1940 (above) and 2020 (under)
The shape of this characteristic building on today’s Jalan Menteng Raya is still very much recognisable, but an experienced eye will notice some alterations, most noticeably the removal of the lovely balcony on the first floor. This site on number 27 was until 1941 the premises of IMPLA, the import company of pharmaceutical and agricultural articles, and the exclusive importer of Bayer products in Batavia (Jakarta) at the time. In 1952 the company Electro Import NV housed on what was then officially spelled Djalan Menteng 27. Today it is occupied by PT Mega Eltra, a big contractor company in the field of electrical and technical equipment. The building most likely dates back to the late 1920s or early 1930s.
Jalan Menteng Raya 11-13 in 1941 (above) and 2020 (under)
A little gem in today’s Jakarta is Jalan Menteng Raya, in colonial days just known as Menteng or Oud Menteng (Old Menteng). The percentage of heritage buildings that is still present today along this road is much higher than anywhere else in Central Jakarta. On the eastern side of the road are two identical houses of an interesting architecture at number 11 and 13, now part of the Gedung Bina Manajemen.
Architect J.F.L. Blankenberg
The left house at number 11 was in 1941 the office of one of Batavia’s most well-known architects J.F.L. Blankenberg (1888-1958), who was responsible for a number of majestic houses on the Burgemeester Bisschopplein (now Taman Suropati), the house on today’s Jalan Imam Bonjol 1 which is now the Formulation of Proclamation Text Museum and the former NIROM radio studio building on Koningsplein West (now Medan Merdeka Barat). Menteng number 13 was in 1941 the residence of Mr. C.H.R. Landouw. Both houses most likely date from the late 1910s or early 1920s. Apart from some alterations, they are in excellent condition today.
