Kampongwoningen, links bioscoopgebouw gezien vanaf den kalkoven in Z-W. richting. October 1926. 1926

This photograph, taken in October 1926 by an anonymous photographer, shows the ‘Kampongwoningen’ in the Dutch East Indies. The image is a small black and white print, seemingly a commonplace format for documentary purposes. It shows workers' houses, likely for those employed in the nearby Kalkoven, or lime kiln. The houses are simple, repetitive structures, hinting at a system of mass-production tailored for a specific social class. Note the presence of a cinema building on the left, suggesting an attempt to provide leisure activities for the workforce. The composition, viewed from an elevated position, emphasizes the ordered layout of the settlement, reflecting a colonial gaze imposing structure on the landscape. The photograph’s texture, the grainy quality of the print, and the utilitarian approach of the photographer all speak to its function as a record, rather than a celebration, of this built environment. Its matter-of-fact quality belies the complex social dynamics at play.