Werknemers verplaatsen spoorrails bij tinonderneming te Soengeiliat c. 1900 - 1920

This photograph, "Werknemers verplaatsen spoorrails bij tinonderneming te Soengeiliat" shows workers moving train tracks at a tin mine in Soengeiliat. When I look at this, I think about the ground, the workers. I start to feel what it might have been like to be there, shifting those heavy rails in the bright sun. I mean, you can almost feel the weight of that metal and the dust kicked up as they move the tracks. What were they thinking, these anonymous workers? Were they dreaming of a future, resenting the labor, or just focused on the task at hand? The monochrome flattens out the tones, but I keep imagining the texture of the soil, the rough, makeshift tools, the sweat on their faces. It is all so matter-of-fact and straightforward. I think it would have felt so slow, so incredibly heavy. But hey, maybe it was just another day at work, right? And then, I can't help but wonder about the photographer too. What did they think about capturing this scene?