Kampong Balige van Toba Batakkers op Sumatra c. 1900 - 1920

This photograph, *Kampong Balige van Toba Batakkers op Sumatra*, was captured by Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis, but the exact date is unknown. Look closely, and you'll notice how the textures feel almost tactile, even in this monochrome image. The thatched roofs, those rough, diagonal lines, they give a real sense of place. I love how the light filters through the trees, creating these beautiful contrasts. It’s like a dance between form and shadow. There is one building in the middle ground which has a partially obscured doorway. It is here that a sense of intimate and interior space emerges through the texture of the photograph. Nieuwenhuis invites us into the image, but not quite into the building. This piece reminds me a bit of some of the early landscape photography, like Carleton Watkins, where the subject isn't just the place, but the act of seeing itself. It's about capturing a moment, an atmosphere, and leaving space for our imagination to fill in the gaps. It reminds us that art is always a conversation, an invitation to see the world in new ways.