Plantage Accaribo 1913 - 1930

Theodoor Brouwers took this photo, Plantage Accaribo, sometime between 1890 and 1932. It's a small picture, just a few inches, but it shows a whole world. I love imagining the light, the air, and the humidity of the scene. A figure and child walking on a wooden bridge towards what looks like a plantation house in the distance. I want to know everything about the place, how it came to be built, who inhabited the space, and the stories that unfolded within its walls. It makes me think about what the artist saw in front of him. He could have been thinking about how to capture the mood of the scene, or just trying to get a good shot. Maybe he was thinking about other photographers who came before him, or the ones who would come after. Artists are always having a conversation, you know? Sharing ideas, pushing each other to see things in new ways. I imagine Brouwers wanted to evoke a particular atmosphere in the picture. He wanted to capture the feeling of being there, on that bridge, in that moment, the child tentatively taking each step, holding the adults hand.