Antique chromolithograph of a road in Payakumbuh. The major city on the road from Padang in West Sumatra and Pekanbaru in Riau, Payakumbuh was the second largest settlement in West Sumatra and the largest in the Minangkabau Highlands. Goods and people traveled through Payakumbuh on the way from one coast to the other. Here a few men can be seen walking on the road while trees line the way. A few buildings can be seen on the left and right.

Published in Leiden, the Netherlands, after a water drawing by J.C. Rappard,

Jhr. Josias Cornelis Rappard (1824-1898) was a colonel in the KNIL and a painter. During his posting in the Netherlands Indies 1842-1872, he painted and drew pictures of life and scenes in the Indies that were later, back in Leiden, The Netherlands, would be made into chromolithographs. The Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam holds a large number of these prints and collectors all over the world appreciate Rappard's classic watercolours.

Chromolithography was a popular method for colour printing in the 19th century because of its lower cost and relative ease to mass-produce. The process involves the use of stones and a chemical process to fasten images to the paper. High-end chromolithographs are hand-finished by an artist after the process to ensure the best possible fidelity in each copy.

This lithograph is part of a series, view all by clicking HERE