Blad 117 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1939

This is a page from a register from the Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen in The Hague, dating from between 1930 and 1949. The most striking aspect of this page is the inclusion of photographs alongside handwritten records. The photographic image, particularly, is a powerful symbol. Consider how the photograph attempts to capture and freeze a moment in time, a desire echoing across centuries. In ancient Roman funerary portraits and Renaissance paintings, the goal was to preserve a likeness, a memory. In this context, the photographs serve a similar purpose, documenting the students. Yet, the modern photograph carries a unique weight, imbued with the aura of technological progress and the promise of objectivity. We feel a sense of intimacy with these women, a connection forged through the supposedly unmediated gaze of the camera, despite the layers of history and circumstance that separate us.