Plantage Accaribo Possibly 1913

This stereograph, or double image, shows the Accaribo Plantation and was likely made in or around Suriname, a Dutch colony in South America. These images were popular from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. When viewed through a stereoscope, the slightly offset images create a three-dimensional effect. The institution of slavery was abolished in Suriname in 1863, but indentured laborers from Java and India were brought in to replace the enslaved workers on plantations like Accaribo. The image shows a worker, probably one of the indentured laborers, in a bare landscape. We can only speculate on what the photographer intended to convey, but we can ask ourselves: what is the politics of this imagery? Historians can use plantation records and government archives to better understand the lives of those who lived and worked at Accaribo. Understanding the social and institutional context is crucial to understanding the meaning of this image.