Bezoek aan de velden van de suikeronderneming Beran 1886

This albumen print was made by Kassian Céphas, likely in the late 19th century, in Java. The chemical process used to create this photograph gives it a distinctive sepia tone, which almost romanticizes the scene. But look closer, and you see laborers toiling in the fields of the Beran sugar plantation. The albumen itself is derived from egg whites, a humble material transformed through a complex process into an artistic medium. It’s quite a contrast to the backbreaking labor of the Javanese workers. The texture and weight of the print itself stands in stark opposition to the human cost of sugar production. Consider the amount of work involved in both the making of this image, and the activities it depicts. Céphas was an accomplished photographer, celebrated for his technical skill. But this image also reveals the power dynamics of colonial labor, and the ways in which photography can both document and obscure social realities. It reminds us to consider the materials, processes, and social context intertwined in every work of art.