Leidinggevenden van plantage(s) en honden in de velden van tabaksplantage Boeloe Tjina op Sumatra c. 1900 - 1920

This photograph, housed at the Rijksmuseum, depicts plantation managers and dogs in the tobacco fields of Boeloe Tjina on Sumatra, captured by an anonymous photographer. Imagine standing there, camera in hand, trying to frame a scene that speaks of power, land, and labor. The composition is stark, almost confrontational, with the sharp lines of the tobacco plants cutting through the frame. The figures, stiff and posed, appear as small elements within the landscape, dwarfed by the enormity of the plantation. What were they thinking as they gathered together in the Sumatra fields? It's interesting how the monochrome palette emphasizes the textures—the rough earth, the dense leaves, the crisp uniforms. The image raises a lot of questions about the relationship between humans and the environment, and how different forms of control and cultivation shape our world. It’s a silent scream of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.