Tabaksveld op het Bindjey Estate van de Deli-Batavia Maatschappij op Sumatra (40 dagen na aanplant) c. 1900 - 1920

This photograph, "Tabaksveld op het Bindjey Estate van de Deli-Batavia Maatschappij op Sumatra (40 dagen na aanplant)," was taken anonymously in the Dutch East Indies. Look at the field and the rows of tobacco. The contrast of light and dark creates a rhythm. It’s almost as if the artist is mapping not just a physical space, but a way of seeing – an attempt to show the relationship between labor, the land, and the plantation structure itself. The tonal range in the image, from the white sky to the darker foliage, isn't about capturing a specific moment, but suggesting the weight of the colonial project. Notice the small figures in the frame: are they workers, overseers, or simply stand-ins for the system as a whole? The artist seems to be searching for some kind of order, but the meaning remains elusive. This approach reminds me of some of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, or maybe even some of the New Topographics photographers; a cool, distanced observation that reveals much more than it intends to.