The history of Bali continues to be a subject of great fascination, and has certainly been well-documented over the decades. In his latest book, ‘BALI: Photography 1865-1939,’ photo historian Scott Merrillees presents the island’s storied past through a different lens, documenting the history of photography on Bali.
Historical photos of Indonesia have been a life-long fascination for Scott Merrillees, who arrived in Jakarta in the late 1980’s. Over three decades he has sought out, archived and researched a truly impressive collection of images that together offer a window into colonial and pre-independence Indonesia –indeed, before ‘Indonesia’ even existed.
He has published many books to share his collection and research with the world, including: ‘Batavia in Nineteenth Century Photographs’ (2000), ‘Greetings from Jakarta: Postcards of a Capital 1900–1950 (2012),’ ‘Jakarta: Portraits of a Capital 1950–1980 (2015)’ and ‘Faces of Indonesia: 500 Postcards 1900–1945’ (2021).
He now turns the spotlight to the island of the gods with ‘BALI: Photography 1865-1939’, published in May 2025. The immaculate, 350-page art book is a feat itself, with a textured, textile covered, complete with exquisite gold-embossed lettering and Bali-inspired prada motif.
Whilst its presentation makes it a great addition to any coffee table, the book’s contents are its real treasure. Merrillees flips the perspective on historical documentation of Bali, instead offering a history of photography with Bali as the ‘subject.’ The book is thus structured around the persons behind the camera, bringing to light their processes of documentation, the circumstances that brought them to Bali and insightful, anecdotal stories that add a different layer to life on Bali at that time.
Through a total of 447 photographs and images, the book is chronologically organised across four chapters, beginning in 1865 with the arrival of photographer Isidore van Kinsbergen sent to Bali on a Dutch government mission. It continues to introduce prominent characters of Bali’s visual historical documentation, like Rose Covarrubias and Colin McPhee, to lesser-known parties like the Japanese photo studios of the 1930’s or the unique contributions of photo-colourists based out of Yokohama, Japan.
With this new angle focusing on photography and photographer, Merrillees simultaneously presents the evolution of photo technologies (from sepia daguerreotypes to early colour autochromes) alongside how Bali itself was captured and portrayed through time, i.e. the different points of view of each period and person.
“BALI: Photography 1865-1939 is the first book that I know of to attempt a history of photography on Bali during the pre-independence era,” shares Scott Merrillees. “It is somewhat surprising that there have been no similar books published beforehand considering how many books have already been written about other aspects of Balinese history & culture such as paintings & drawings, dance, textiles and wood carvings.”
Edited by Diana Darling and published by Afterhours Books, ‘BALI: Photography 1865-1939,’ is a great contribution to the island’s historical documentation, meticulously researched and exquisitely presented. It will surely be a sought after publication for photography and Bali enthusiasts alike.
Available in all Periplus and Kinokuniya bookstores in Jakarta and Bali.
scottmerrillees.com
