Contractarbeiders sorteren tabak op de onderneming Bekioen, Sumatra c. 1890 - 1900

This photograph, taken by Heinrich Ernst & Co. around 1890-1900, depicts contract laborers sorting tobacco at the Bekioen company in Sumatra. The image, now housed in the Rijksmuseum, provides a glimpse into the working conditions of laborers in the Dutch East Indies during the colonial period. The photograph captures a group of individuals meticulously sorting tobacco leaves in a large, airy warehouse, offering a visual documentation of the labor-intensive process of tobacco cultivation.