Javaanse arbeiders stampen coca 1900 - 1935

Neville Keasberry took this stereoscopic photograph of Javanese workers stamping coca, presumably in Java, though the exact date is unknown. The image shows laborers using a mortar and pestle to process coca leaves; the tools appear to be crafted from local wood, suggesting a blend of traditional craft and agricultural work. The photograph's focus on this manual labor draws our attention to the intensive effort involved in coca production, highlighting issues of labor and class. The workers, possibly part of a larger plantation system, are engaged in a repetitive, physically demanding task, a process that underscores the social context of colonial-era production and the reliance on manual processes. Understanding the photograph means recognizing how materials, making, and context shape its overall meaning, challenging distinctions between fine art and craft by revealing the profound connections between labor, commodity, and representation.