Blad 4 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel I (1921-1929) Possibly 1921 - 1929

This page from the Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage, or the Register of Students of the Colonial School for Girls and Women in The Hague, was made sometime between 1921 and 1929. It's incredible to imagine the anonymous person who made this record, so meticulously writing the names and details of these young women. I sympathize with the writer, recording what feels to me like the beginning of these women's lives. The simple portrait, likely pasted in, lends a personal touch to the record. She seems poised, ready, and eager. What did she think of her time at this school? What did she go on to do? These types of historical documents are an interesting form of folk art, where bureaucratic record-keeping becomes an act of care. Each entry is like a brushstroke, contributing to a larger composition. It reminds me that all art forms, even the seemingly mundane, can carry profound emotional and historical weight.