Plantage Accaribo 1913 - 1930

This is a stereoscopic card, made by Theodoor Brouwers, and it captures a view of Plantage Accaribo in Suriname. It’s ghostly, almost like a faded memory. There's this incredible softness, like he’s not trying to capture every detail, but more the feeling of the place. It’s all about tone, a subtle dance between light and shadow. Look at how the light filters through the trees. It's hard to tell if he's obscured something, or if this is what the scene really looked like. The texture is incredible, the surfaces are all muted, as though this photograph was taken at the end of a long day and then tucked away for many years. This is what gives the image its power - it's almost impossible to work out what is really going on in the picture. There is something about this that reminds me of Atget, but with a completely different energy. But like Atget, Brouwers is onto something about how images create worlds.