Blad 85 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1936 - 1939

This page from a register of girls at a Colonial School in The Hague was made in 1936, we don’t know by whom, but it’s a pretty fascinating use of pen, ink and photos. I imagine the layout being determined through trial and error, with the different handwriting styles shifting across the page. Each line, a small portrait of a girl's life – name, birthdate, place of origin, snapshots from the day. What must it have been like to painstakingly fill out these forms? Maybe the hand felt cramped or tired. Look at the loops of the cursive script, they swell with a sense of purpose, even if the information is mundane. A wedding photo is taped alongside the entry for one woman, capturing a moment of hope and transition. The careful arrangement suggests a desire to preserve something of the past, even as the future unfolds. We are all, in a way, collagists, piecing together fragments of experience to make sense of the world and ourselves. Each mark and image resonates with meaning, inviting us to contemplate the stories and lives they represent.