Portret van twee Indonesische kinderen met draagmanden 1857 - 1880

This photograph, by Woodbury & Page, depicts two Indonesian children with carrying baskets. It's a simple albumen print, meaning the image was captured on paper coated with egg white. A process popular in the 19th century for its crisp detail. Note the texture of the woven baskets. These are not just props, but a key element. We can consider the labour that went into their making. Woven by hand, perhaps by the children's own families, they represent a traditional craft. This is starkly different from the modern, mechanical process of photography itself, an imported technology. The image, then, presents a contrast: the traditional, local craft of basket-making versus the industrialized, colonial technology of photography. The children, positioned between these two worlds, embody this tension. Photography, often seen as a fine art, here intersects with the everyday craft of basketry, highlighting the social and economic realities of colonial Indonesia. This photograph reminds us that even seemingly simple images are embedded with complex histories of labor, materials, and cultural exchange.