The Dutch Virgin and the Indies

This satirical cartoon, published on the title page of De Notenkraker (The Nutcracker), depicts the “Dutch Virgin”, a long-standing personification of the Netherlands, prowling among Indonesians in what the caption mockingly describes as a search for “an apology for her own misdeeds.” Created by Albert Hahn Jr. in 1927, the image sharply criticizes Dutch colonial hypocrisy, exposing the moral posturing of the Netherlands while ignoring its own actions in the Dutch East Indies.