Vrouwen bezig met aanrijgen van tabaksbladeren in een droogschuur op Sumatra c. 1900 - 1915

Carl J. Kleingrothe made this photograph, “Women engaged in stringing tobacco leaves in a drying barn in Sumatra,” sometime between 1880 and 1920. Look at this immense drying barn and try to imagine all the individual leaves. The amount of labor that went into the scene! I imagine the photographer, Kleingrothe, carefully choosing his angle, considering the light filtering through the barn's structure. He captures not just the physical space, but also the quiet hum of activity and the patient hands of the women working. What were they thinking as they strung the leaves? Did they feel pride in their work, boredom, or perhaps a sense of solidarity with one another? Were they singing? Thinking about their families? We can only guess... Photography, like any art form, captures a moment, but it also hints at the unseen, the untold stories behind the image. It’s a dance between what’s visible and what remains hidden, a conversation across time.