Fotoalbum met opnames van vier suikerfabrieken op Java c. 1925 - 1930

This photo album, made by Isken, contains images of four sugar factories in Java. The book itself, although a simple container, is significant. Paper and bookbinding, though seemingly commonplace, involve complex industrial processes. Think of the forestry, pulping, and chemical treatments required to make paper, and the skilled labor needed for binding. Consider, too, the photographs within. Photography in this era relied on specialized knowledge, equipment, and materials. Each image captures not just a factory, but a moment in time, a specific configuration of labor and resources dedicated to sugar production. Albums like these offer insight into the intersection of industry, technology, and colonial enterprise. The book's physical presence embodies a system of production that relied on both skilled craftsmanship and industrial processes, reflecting the complex relationship between art, labor, and global trade. It reminds us that even the most ordinary objects can reveal extraordinary stories about our world.