Blad 12 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1930 - 1937

This is page 12 from a ledger documenting students at the Colonial School for Girls and Women in the Hague, dating between 1930 and 1949. I'm really drawn to the handwriting. All these flourishes and disciplined loops. It's so beautiful and strangely moving to see how this process of documentation has become an artwork in itself. The handwritten entries give way to pasted-in photographs, each a little portal into the lives of these young women. The range of images is fascinating. Some are formal portraits, others are casual snapshots of everyday life. These small visual details, like the type of penmanship and the varying photographic styles, offer a glimpse into the layers of history and storytelling embedded in this object. Looking at this page reminds me of the work of someone like Moyra Davey, who also uses photography and writing to explore personal and historical narratives. It is a reminder that art can be found in the most unexpected places, blurring the lines between document and artifact, intention and accident.