Pagina 63 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.) c. 1924 - 1925

This photograph by J.W. Meyster is page 63 from a photo album of the General Association of Rubber Planters on the East Coast of Sumatra. The composition is structured around a receding perspective, leading the eye from the foreground barrels, past workers and machinery, towards the vanishing point at the back of the factory. The muted sepia tones and sharp lighting create a contrast between the industrial setting and the human figures. The rhythmic repetition of vertical lines and the geometric shapes of the rubber stacks introduce a sense of order within a chaotic environment. Here, photography is employed as a tool to document and perhaps, to legitimize the activities of the rubber industry. The photograph acts as a signifier of progress, modernity, and colonial enterprise. However, it is important to consider what the image doesn't show. What stories remain untold? Notice how the photograph’s structure—its use of light, shadow, and linear perspective—functions not just as a recording tool, but also as a carefully constructed narrative.