Blad 102 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1938

This is page 102 from the register of students at The Colonial School for Girls and Women in the Hague between 1930 and 1949. It was made anonymously. The register provides a fascinating glimpse into the social and institutional history of the Netherlands at a time when it still possessed colonies overseas. These pages contain a mix of handwritten notes and mounted photographs, signatures and brief biographies of students. The Colonial School for Girls reflects the social norms of its time: it was an institution specifically for women, and it prepared them for life in the colonies. The register gives us a valuable insight into the lives of these women and the roles they were expected to play in colonial society. Who were these women? What kind of training did they receive? What was their experience of life in the colonies? To understand this register fully, we need to know about the history of the Colonial School itself, its curriculum, its staff, and its connections to the colonial administration. Only then can we fully appreciate the social and cultural context in which this register was created, and the lives of the women whose names and faces are recorded within it.