Personeel in de suikerfabriek 1890 - 1910

Curator: Alright, let’s dive into this image, shall we? This gelatin silver print is called "Personeel in de suikerfabriek," which translates to "Staff in the Sugar Factory." It was captured sometime between 1890 and 1910 by Otto Hisgen. Editor: First impressions? It feels…sterile, yet human. Like a candid glimpse into an Oompa Loompa convention, but without the whimsy. All that white against the dark machinery, very striking! Curator: That contrast speaks volumes, doesn't it? Consider the socio-economic implications of sugar production during that period. The pristine white uniforms of the workers juxtaposed against the industrial grime suggests a carefully constructed image of order and control. Who are these workers and where were they in the racial and social hierarchies of sugar production at this time? Editor: It also feels staged to some degree. There's an awkwardness in their arrangement. It makes you wonder, were they proud of their work, or just part of the machine, literally and figuratively? What was the photographer, Hisgen, trying to capture in this scene? The scale is daunting. These guys look so small against that enormous machinery. It highlights that contrast between the labour and capital! Curator: Precisely! Hisgen, intentionally or not, captured the industrial reality of the time. Group portraits were popular. Note the composition places authority up on the stairs looking down upon everyone else in the photograph. But this image also offers a view into the labor practices and the societal structures that supported them. Early example of management attempting to make labourers look like a united, yet entirely regimented, team! Editor: Right. But it is those uniforms...the visual shorthand. Makes them interchangeable, cogs in this massive operation. The starkness really gets to you. This isn't some bucolic scene, but a sharp look at how we produce one of the world's favorite tastes: sugar. You can taste the political implications of that simple cube. Curator: A powerful reminder that even seemingly straightforward photographs can hold complex narratives. I appreciate your attention to the human element there! Editor: And I your historical context. It's those two viewpoints together that really bring this picture into focus.