Portret van Madeo en Kali, een broer en zus van de Kuruba-kaste before 1875

This monochrome photograph captures Madeo and Kali, siblings from the Kuruba caste. The composition divides the space vertically, framing each figure distinctly yet uniting them through their shared cultural context and the photographer's gaze. The formal qualities of the photograph are striking in their starkness. The limited tonal range emphasizes texture and form. Madeo and Kali's dishevelled hair, rendered with sharp detail, contrasts with the soft gradations of light and shadow across their bare bodies. They are placed against a flat background. This directness eliminates any narrative context, focusing instead on the subjects themselves as objects of ethnographic study. The photograph's structure reflects broader colonial-era fascinations with categorizing and documenting the "primitive." The siblings are presented as specimens. Their features are meticulously recorded. This image can be viewed as part of a visual archive contributing to the construction of racial and cultural hierarchies. Note the symmetry and starkness, underscoring its role as both a portrait and a document.