Blad 115 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1939

This open ledger page, titled "Blad 115" comes from a register of students at a Colonial School for Girls and Women in The Hague. It was made sometime between 1930-1949. I find myself empathizing with the anonymous maker of this scrapbook page. They must have been thinking about how to document the lives of these women. It’s a weird combo of formal record and personal archive, with printed text alongside handwritten notes. And then there are these pasted-in photos; tiny, intimate snapshots of the subjects, caught in moments of daily life. It makes me wonder about the stories behind these women – their hopes, dreams, and experiences. Who were they before they entered this colonial school, and what became of them afterwards? How did their lives intersect with the broader history of colonialism and its impact on individuals and communities? This record is a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, and that even the simplest of documents can hold complex layers of meaning.