Tassilo Adam (1878–1955) was a German

ethnologist Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Scien ...

, photographer and filmmaker in what is now

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Adam photographed palaces, rulers and royal sights in Java, Indonesia. He also worked in

Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...

and other locations in the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

. Adam donated photographs of the

Batak people Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo people ( ...

and other Sumatran ethnic groups, as well as notes on central Javanese dance to the

Royal Tropical Institute KIT, formerly the Royal Tropical Institute (Dutch: Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen), is an applied knowledge institute located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is an independent centre of expertise, education, intercultural cooperation and hospi ...

in Amsterdam in August 1944.

Early life

Adam was born in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

in 1878 to the German painter

Emil Adam Emil Franz Adam (20 May 1843, in Munich – 19 January 1924, in Munich) was a German equestrian painter. Life Adam was the son of animal painter Benno Adam. He initially intended to devote himself to science, but, carried away by the exampl ...

and an Italian mother. At 16 he studied in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and decided to visit the Batak people in Sumatra. He worked on a Dutch tobacco plantation in Deli, Sumatra. His experiences included illnesses such as

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

and

dengue fever Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease caused by dengue virus, prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas. Asymptomatic infections are uncommon, mild cases happen frequently; if symptoms appear, they typically begin 3 to 14 days after i ...

. He took a sick leave and returned to Vienna in 1912, marrying his wife Johanna.

Dutch East Indies

He returned to the Dutch East Indies in 1914 and set up a dark room in

Pematangsiantar Pematangsiantar (sometimes written as Pematang Siantar, acronym PS or ''P. Siantar'', colloquially just Siantar), and also known as the City of Pematangsiantar, is an independent city in North Sumatra Province of Indonesia, surrounded by, but not ...

. He photographed the Kubus, the people of

Nias Island Nias (, Nias: ''Tanö Niha'') is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, but also includes the Batu Islands to the southeast and the small H ...

, and the Batak. He also collected Batak artifacts which he distributed to Dutch museums. He learned the Batak language and wrote a book on Malay-Batak grammar in 1948 with James Butler. In 1921 he moved his family to

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

where he established another photographic studio. He had three children in Sumatra, Lilo, Claus and Inge, and did portraiture and filmed and photographed royal dances and rituals with the permission of Sultan Hamengku Buwono VIII. Adam documented

Wayang Wong ( ), also known as (), is a type of classical Javanese and Balinese dance theatrical performance with themes taken from episodes of the '' Ramayāna'' or '' Mahabharāta''. Performances are stylised, reflecting Javanese court culture: De ...

theatre, the Wayang Topeng, the Kuda Kepang (Horse Dance), the

Serimpi The Srimpi () (also written as Serimpi) is a ritualised Javanese dance, dance of Java (island), Java, Indonesia, associated with the royal palaces of Yogyakarta Sultanate, Yogyakarta and Surakarta Sunanate, Surakarta. The ''srimpi'' dance is on ...

, Bedoyo dances, and Javanese Shadow puppet shows. His photographs also captured the batik costumes used. Other events he documented include the

circumcision Circumcision is a procedure that removes the foreskin from the human penis. In the most common form of the operation, the foreskin is extended with forceps, then a circumcision device may be placed, after which the foreskin is excised. T ...

of a royal prince of the Susunahan of Solo, Indonesia.

Later life

After contracting

amoebic dysentery Amoebiasis, or amoebic dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by a parasitic amoeba '' Entamoeba histolytica''. Amoebiasis can be present with no, mild, or severe symptoms. Symptoms may include lethargy, loss of weight, coloni ...

for a third time, he returned to Europe in 1926. He lectured, and sold pictures and films to German language magazines while visiting

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where Adam worked as associate curator of oriental art from 1929 to 1933 at the

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 500,000 objects. Located near the Prospect Heig ...

. His son

Claus Adam Claus Adam (November 5, 1917 – July 4, 1983) was an American cellist and cello teacher as well as a composer. His music teachers include Emanuel Feuermann for cello, Stefan Wolpe for composition, and Léon Barzin for conducting. He served as ...

was a

cellist The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

Bibliography

*"A Personal Experience with Malaria", Knickerbocker Weekly, December 27, 1943 *"Batak Days and Ways", Asia; The American Journal on the Orient, February 1930, 118–125; 134–141. *"Wayang Wong: the Javanese Theatre", Knickerbocker Weekly, September 1943, 25–26.

Gallery

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een Karo-Batakse man met zijn familie en voor hen de schedels van de voorouders TMnr 10000882.jpg, A "Karo-Batakse" man with his family and the skulls of his ancestors (1918), photo by Tassilo Adam File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een Karo-Batak priester prikt met zijn toverstaf in een ei een pad en een kameleon bij een ceremonie in het dorp Kabanjahe Sumatra. Op de achtergrond het huis van Pa Mbelgah TMnr 10000896.jpg, A Karo-Batak shaman performs rituals with a wand, egg and chameleon in a ceremony in the village "Kabanjahe" Sumatra. In the background the house of Pa Mbelgah File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een orkest uit de Karolanden gefotografeerd te Brastagi met de vulkaan Sibajak op de achtergrond Noord-Sumatra TMnr 10005395.jpg, A

Karo people (Indonesia) The Karo (also known as Karo Batak) people are a people of the ''Tanah Karo'' (Karo lands) in North Sumatera, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The Karo lands consist of Karo Regency, plus neighboring areas in East Aceh Regency, Langkat Regency, Dairi Re ...

orchestra with Sibayak in the background File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Fruitmarkt te Sarolangun Jambi Sumatra TMnr 10002439.jpg, Fruitmarket in Sarolangun,

Jambi Jambi is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the east coast of central Sumatra Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of i ...

, Sumatra circa 1918 File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Handen met sieraden en een staf Karolanden TMnr 10017738.jpg, Karo hands with jewelry and a staff File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Maskerdans tijdens een Karo begrafenis TMnr 10004575.jpg, Karo masked dancers File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Mannengebit met gevijlde tanden Karo Noord-Sumatra TMnr 10002933.jpg, Karo man with filed teeth File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Kinderspelletjes steltlopen en crocket Karolanden TMnr 10013759.jpg, Karo children playing with stilts and croquet File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Karo-dans begeleid door muziek TMnr 10004597.jpg, Karo women dance File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Interieur van een woning in de Karolanden TMnr 10013608.jpg, Interior of a Karoland house

References