Verplegers en patiënten in de polikliniek van suikerfabriek Goedo te Djombang op Java c. 1925 - 1930

This photograph of nurses and patients in the clinic of a sugar factory was taken in Goedo te Djombang on Java, we don't know when, by Isken. It’s got this sepia tone, which makes it feel like a memory, something faded but still present. I love how Isken captured the room, how the light falls across the tiled floor, and the way the nurses and patients are arranged. There is one nurse palpating a patient and another tending to the foot of an older gentleman. The texture of the photograph itself is really interesting. It’s got that slightly grainy, almost fuzzy quality that you get with older photos. It makes the image feel intimate, like you’re right there in the room with them. It reminds me of Edward Hopper, the way he captures these quiet, everyday moments and makes them feel so meaningful. This is an image of work and labor, with a formal quality that elevates it above a simple documentary photograph. It shows us how art can find beauty and depth in the most unexpected places.