Pagina 43 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.) c. 1924 - 1925

This photograph, *Pagina 43 van fotoboek van de Algemeene Vereeniging van Rubberplanters ter Oostkust van Sumatra (A.V.R.O.S.)*, was taken by J.W. Meyster. It is a monochromatic image on paper. I’m thinking about the labor involved in the rubber plantations, all those workers toiling away. Meyster’s photo almost romanticizes this, which I find troubling. It’s that quality of light, almost dreamy, that flattens the scene and makes the work seem effortless, but of course, it wasn't. I imagine Meyster wanted to make the scene look appealing, to encourage investment, but there's a tension here. The rows of plants are carefully lined, but what were the conditions for the people who tended them? What were their lives like beyond the frame of the image? How do we see the hidden stories in an image that is intended to document progress?