Blad 140 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1947

This photograph, or rather, a spread from a ledger book, seems to have been made sometime between 1930 and 1949, presumably with a pen and photographs. I'm immediately drawn to the portraits, these windows into other people's lives. What's striking is the intimacy, the ordinary-ness of these women, caught in a moment in time. I imagine the person compiling this ledger, meticulously pasting these photos, perhaps feeling a sense of connection to these young women. What were they thinking when they put this together? Were they aware that decades later, someone like me would be pondering over it? It makes me think about how we record history, how these seemingly mundane records become precious artifacts, revealing so much about the culture. It also puts me in mind of On Kawara’s project, ‘Today’, where he painted the date every day on a canvas. I see it as part of a larger conversation about the way we experience time, remember, and make art.