Pagina 148 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.) c. 1924 - 1925

This photographic print by J.W. Meyster is from an album by the General Association of Rubber Planters on the East Coast of Sumatra. It’s important to remember that photographs are not simply records of reality. They are made through a complex interplay of light, chemicals, and human intention. The sepia tone and the way the light filters through the dense plantation create a specific mood, one that romanticizes what was, in fact, a site of intense labor exploitation. Notice how the regimented rows of coconut trees stretch into the distance. This composition emphasizes the scale of the plantation and the systematic control of the natural landscape. The very act of photographing a plantation, of compiling an album dedicated to it, serves to legitimize the colonial enterprise. It also obscures the social and human cost of this intensive agricultural model. By looking closely at the materials and context of this image, we can better understand the complex relationship between art, labor, and colonial power.