Blad 105 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1938

This page comes from a ledger made in the Colonial School for Girls and Women in The Hague, sometime between 1930 and 1949. Imagine sitting down to write this, one entry after another, documenting student after student. There's something fascinating in the formal constraint and the handwritten script. It makes me think about the rhythm of the pen, the pressure on the page as the words take shape. The arching lines flow across the page, each with its own subtle variation. It's like a dance across the surface, a conversation between the hand, the ink, and the paper. The materiality of the ink, the way it sits on the page, has a certain weight and presence. You know, abstract painters like Agnes Martin used grids to create a sense of order and structure, but also to explore the subtle variations within that structure. In a way, this ledger does something similar, setting up a framework for individual expression and improvisation. It’s interesting how the mundane can become beautiful through process, labor, and mark-making. It’s all about the ways in which we leave our mark on the world, and how those marks accumulate over time to tell a story.