Photo: E. Becker/National Gallery of Australia
One of the main characteristics of colonialism was the inequality of living standards of people who were segregated based on race. In the Dutch East Indies the Dutch people could live in prosperity, while the natives lived a poor life. This happened because the colonial system was a racist system, the Dutch were recognized as first-class citizens, while the natives were third-class citizens.
The control of economic resources and political position by the Dutch made the indigenous people very low in standard of living. This inequality was very visible in life in the Dutch East Indies.
The photo above is of a Dutch house in Makassar around 1910. You can see the front and back of this magnificent house, complete with servants around the house. It was common at that time that rich Dutch people had dozens of native servants who took care of all their household affairs.
From the photo, we can also see that the house adapts to the tropical climate, so it has lots of ventilation and doors that can be opened wide.