Pagina 66 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.) c. 1924 - 1925

This photograph, "Pagina 66," was taken by J.W. Meyster, and is from a photo book of the Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra. The monochromatic palette, a range of sepias and browns, gives the image a feeling of historical distance, like looking through time. The photo depicts women sorting rubber, and their gestures and poses caught my eye. The texture of the photograph itself feels smooth, while the subjects, especially the pile of rubber, looks rough and fibrous. The light streams in from the windows, almost obscuring the women's faces. I found myself focusing on the shapes made by their bodies, their hands, the rubber, the crates stacked against the back wall. This image reminds me a little bit of the work of Helen Levitt, whose street photography captured the everyday with a similar blend of formality and spontaneity. Ultimately, this photograph is an open question, an invitation to consider labour, representation, and the complex layers of history embedded in a single image.