Een toeristische totok in de tropen

A tourist totok in the tropics. Justus van Maurik on a journey in the Dutch East Indies

In 1896, the Amsterdam cigar trader and writer Justus van Maurik embarked on a trip to the Dutch East Indies to pursue his business interests and to promote his cigar brand. In addition, he also intended to recite from his literary work in the colony. After his return, Van Maurik published the humorous travelogue Indrukken van een ‘Tòtòk’ (1897). This work deserves more attention, because it contains an early tourist perspective from the end of the nineteenth century. This article examines how that perspective is expressed by focusing on Van Maurik’s representation of the Indies as a tourist destination, his use of a travel guide and his fascination for dark places.