Blad 71 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel I (1921-1929) Possibly 1928

This page, number 71 from the Colonial School for Girls and Women registry, was compiled in The Hague between 1921 and 1929. Note the stark, regimented columns filled with names, birthplaces, and destinations, contrasting sharply with the intimate photographs and handwritten signatures to the right. This interplay evokes a tension between institutional control and individual identity, a dichotomy deeply embedded in the colonial experience. Consider the signatures themselves. Each one is unique, a personal mark of identity in the face of systemic categorization. Signatures, like personal stamps, are like talismans. Observe how, across epochs and cultures, the act of signing one's name carries a weight of authority and presence, akin to a magical incantation, or ritual. This act echoes in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and medieval illuminated manuscripts alike, suggesting a universal, subconscious need to affirm our existence.