Blad 103 uit Stamboek van de leerlingen der Koloniale School voor Meisjes en Vrouwen te 's-Gravenhage deel II (1930-1949) Possibly 1938

This is Blad 103, a page from the registry of students at the Colonial School for Girls and Women in The Hague. It was made sometime between 1930 and 1949 by an anonymous author. These pages offer a fascinating, if partial, glimpse into the lives of women preparing to participate in the Dutch colonial project. The neat columns and rows try to contain the complexities of identity, mapping names, places of origin, and destinations. Snapshots capture these women at a moment in time, often posed in their best attire. Note the carefully written signatures, asserting individuality within the regimented structure. But the registry also bears witness to the fraught history of colonialism. These women, armed with domestic skills and European values, were to be deployed across the Dutch colonies. We might consider the legacies of cultural erasure, economic exploitation, and social engineering that were part of the colonial system. This registry page serves as a stark reminder of the human stories, often untold, woven into the fabric of imperial power.