S.O. Goenoengsari. Montage kookpannen van uit de sorteerkisten gezien. 1 Juni 1927. 1927

This black and white photograph, taken on June 1st, 1927 by an anonymous artist, captures a cook pan assembly line from a sorting perspective. It’s got that old-timey industrial vibe, all steel and big structures, probably taken with one of those cameras that needed a whole lotta light and a steady hand. I imagine the photographer, maybe a factory worker with a keen eye, thinking about documentation. Trying to frame this scene of labor, to freeze this moment of industrialization. The soft gradations of light and shadow really capture a unique quality. That worker peering out of one of the vessels – what are they thinking? What’s their story? The artist's vision is all about a particular moment and a particular kind of labor. This piece shows us something so real and down-to-earth, connecting us to that time and those lives.