Bauxietwinning in Moengo en rit door de jungle 1927 - 1931

This is a collection of photographs titled Bauxietwinning in Moengo en rit door de jungle, by an unknown artist. The grainy black and white images give a real sense of the place, and the time. The upper image, in particular, is filled with contrast. The dark earth in the foreground gives way to a bright sky in the background, all mediated by a water tower on the horizon. Looking at the image, you get the sense that there isn’t any editing, no attempt to conceal the means through which the image came to be. You can feel the landscape and the labor that is being carried out there. There is an interesting comparison to be made between this photographer and someone like Dorothea Lange. While Lange’s images tend to be more polished and overtly artful, this photographer focuses on capturing the truth of the situation, whatever that might be.