Gezicht op een fermenteerschuur voor tabak op de Stabat plantage in Langkat, Sumatra c. 1890 - 1900

This photograph of a tobacco fermentation barn in Sumatra was taken by the firm Heinrich Ernst & Co. The sepia tones speak to the photographic process of the time, but consider the building itself. Constructed from timber and thatch, these materials were readily available in the local environment. This image offers a glimpse into the colonial economy of the time, where resources were extracted and processed for global consumption. Fermentation was a crucial step in preparing tobacco for export, and the scale of the barn suggests the intensity of production. Think about the labor required to harvest, cure, and process the tobacco, much of it likely performed by local workers under exploitative conditions. This photograph is not just a neutral record, it's a document embedded in the social and economic realities of colonial Indonesia. By examining the materials, the methods of production, and the colonial context, we gain a deeper appreciation of the photograph and its implications, moving beyond the traditional boundaries of art history.