Persroller Possibly 1930 - 1939

This photograph, taken on September 15th, 1930, in Soerabaia, presents a double action press roller machine. The inclusion of a man alongside the machine provides a sense of scale, while simultaneously prompting questions about labor and technology. The machine itself seems to embody the industrial aspirations of the time. The sign tells us that it has ball bearings and the capacity to press 700 pounds per roll period. The photograph’s context is in the Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia, during a period of colonial rule and growing nationalism. The machine is a telling symbol of that moment: It represents the technological and economic power of the colonizers. The man’s presence draws attention to the human cost of the industrial progress. To fully understand this image, we need to dig into archives, colonial records, and studies of labor in the Dutch East Indies. It's through this work that we can truly grasp the complex web of social, economic, and political forces at play.