Plantage Accaribo, Suriname 1913 - 1930

These three small wooden boxes, by Theodoor Brouwers, contain glass negatives taken in Suriname. I imagine Brouwers carefully opening these boxes, one by one. How gently he must have handled each glass plate! It's hard to get a sense of the images from here, but I bet each one is like a window—revealing light-soaked landscapes, the textures of daily life, and the people of Suriname. And I can picture Brouwers setting up his camera in the field. He’s got his head under a dark cloth, meticulously composing the shot. The light is probably intense, almost bleaching everything out. Each photograph must have been a little miracle to him. You know, a way of capturing time, memory, and place. I think all artists are in an ongoing conversation, constantly sharing and exchanging ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Brouwers’ images feel like a gift—inviting us to look closely, imagine, and connect.