JAKARTA: Portraits of a Capital 1950-1980 shows the evolution of Jakarta during the first three decades after Indonesian independence (1945) and the recognition of national sovereignty by the Dutch (1949) had finally been achieved. It reveals the capital city of a newly independent nation throwing off its colonial inheritance to build a bold new capital that for President Sukarno would be a beacon for newly independent countries around the world. It is a period that gave Jakarta many of its most famous and iconic landmarks including Hotel Indonesia, the National Monument (Monas), the Senayan sports complex, the Istiqlal Mosque, Jalan Thamrin, Jalan Jendral Sudirman, the Semanggi cloverleaf bridge, the Sarinah department store and the Bank Indonesia headquarters. This book is the continuation of Scott Merrillees' first two books that trace the development of Jakarta from the middle of the 19th century: BATAVIA in Nineteenth Century Photographs and Greetings from JAKARTA: Postcards of a Capital 1900-1950. Together, the three books give readers a complete and fascinating picture of how one of Asia's great cities evolved from much humbler origins.