Fedor Schulze: photographer in the Dutch East Indies L.F.M. Schulze (Mühlberg an der Elbe, 1836 - Batavia, 1908) was a German-born officer who served in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) until 1882. After leaving the military, he settled in Batavia, Java, and became a naturalized Dutch citizen in 1900. Following his retirement, Schulze pursued a new career as a writer and professional photographer. In the 1890s, Schulze published several works reflecting his interest in the region’s landscapes, cultures, and historical developments. Among these were two travel guides on Java (1890 and 1894), as well as a detailed account of the Dutch military campaign in Lombok, published in two parts in 1894. Around the same time, he established a photography studio in Batavia. His photographic work is notable for its carefully composed studio portraits, often featuring individuals in traditional Javanese and Balinese clothing, with a respectful focus on the cultural and visual details of everyday life. Through both his writings and photographs, Schulze left a valuable textual and visual record of late 19th-century Java.

Photographs P59 (left) and P97 (right) were taken at the Schulze photo studio in Batavia. Additional examples of Schulze’s work in the CRA-gallery include P60, P66, P80, P98, PM12, PM30, and PM36.

Travel guide “Führer auf Java” published in 1890. For details on this guide see M38. Information on the better-known guide “West Java; from Batavia to Tjilitjap,” published in 1894, is provided in M39.

Studio photograph of L.F.M. Schulze, taken in 1877, showing him wearing the Militaire Willems-Orde, which he was awarded in 1876. Image courtesy of V. Treffers.