2 kinderen van een Chineesche vader en een Karo-Bataksche moeder: ... Chineesche stand der oogen maar het grove Karo-Bataksche hoofd. 1929

This photograph was taken on October 18, 1929, at the Hospitaal Batak Instituut. I’m curious about the photographer's intentions. It’s a stark image of two children, the contrast heightened by the cool tones of the photograph. The children’s direct gazes feel like a challenge, or maybe an invitation. I find myself wondering, what was it like to frame this image? What story was the photographer trying to tell? The starkness reminds me of August Sander’s portraits of the German population in the early 20th century. I am interested in the way the photographer has approached this piece, particularly his framing of the subjects. It feels like a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. Each photograph is a dialogue, a response to what has come before, isn't it?