'Former Points of View' depicts life in colonial era<\/p>\n
By Amir Sidharta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Postcards, I am sure, have been used to solve
\nmurders in movies. What could offer better clues? The picture
\nshows where the sender was and the postmark shows when he or she
\nsent the card. What is written on the card also hints at the
\nsender's train of thought and the relationship between the sender
\nand the addressee.<\/p>\n
Indeed, postcards -- especially old ones -- tell much more
\nthan the pictures depicted on the front. You get much more than
\nwhat you see. Postcards, at least those which make it through the
\nmail, contain seven factual references to a people, place and
\ntime: the name of the sender, the name of the addressee, the
\ncompany which published the card, the object or place portrayed,
\nthe place where it was mailed, the address to which it was sent,
\nand the date when it was sent.<\/p>\n
The picture represents the point of view of the photographer
\nwhile reflecting popular tastes as well as the publishers'
\njudgment of commercial value. The sender's choice of card hints
\nat his frame of mind and gives a clue to his perception of the
\naddressee. Finally, the written message illustrates the
\nrelationship between the sender and the addressee. Often the
\nmessage refers to common acquaintances and places or events
\nsignificant to the correspondents. In addition to the seven
\nfactual references, a postcard also contains interpretative
\ninformation useful in studying past ways of life.<\/p>\n
With the wealth of information that a postcard offers, it is
\nno surprise that postcards are treated as valid historical
\nartifacts by unconventional historians. They are physical objects
\nmade from specific material in a particular way for a distinctive
\nfunction. All that adds up to history.<\/p>\n
A postcard is actually more than an artifact. In addition to
\nits picture, a postcard also contains a written testimonial which
\ncan be important documentary evidence.<\/p>\n
Literary passages<\/p>\n
Former Points of View, deltiologist Stephen Grant's new book
\non postcards from pre-independent Indonesia, was launched last
\nSunday by The Lontar Foundation. This 182-page, full-color book
\ncontains a selection of postcards from the author's collection.
\nThe postcard images cleverly relate to passages excerpted from
\nover 30 books or periodicals written about Indonesia before the
\narrival of the Japanese in 1942. Additional interpretive
\nhistorical information is also provided by the author in the form
\nof captions.<\/p>\n
Creating the book wasn't simple. Grant had to meticulously
\nresearch passages for each postcard he intended to include in the
\nbook and then pick the most appropriate quotation. The inclusion
\nof the excerpts certainly adds an idyllic nuance to the pictorial
\nimages. Since every passage except one was written by non-
\nIndonesians, they state the colonists' and the travelers' points
\nof view about life in the Dutch Indies.<\/p>\n
To the inquisitive amateur historian, the introduction
\ncontains important information about the historiography of
\ndeltiology. You learn that the world's first postcard made its
\ndebut in Austria in 1869, while the first picture-postcard
\nappeared in 1880. The earliest picture-postcard from the Dutch
\nIndies dates from the late 1890s.<\/p>\n
Grant groups his collection into three prominent themes:
\nnature, colonial life and indigenous life. The depiction of
\nnature depicts the rivers and mountain valleys of Sumatra, the
\nlakes and volcanoes of Java and the beaches of Maluku.<\/p>\n
The colonial life category consists primarily of pictures of
\nbuildings and structures. The author points out that \"people are
\na rarity, especially Europeans, and one does not see the people
\nwho work inside these impressive structures; the buildings stand
\nalone as sturdy representations of a power base. The colonial
\nworld is thus symbolized more by buildings than by people.\"<\/p>\n
By contrast, Grant notes that the theme of indigenous life \"is
\nexemplified by people, especially indigenous people at work\".
\nShown in particular roles such as vendors, craftspeople,
\nmusicians, performers and warriors, the publishers of the cards
\nseemed to have been interested in presenting stereotypes of the
\nindigenous inhabitants.<\/p>\n
Exhibition<\/p>\n
The launching of the charming volume coincided with the
\nopening of an exhibition of Grant's postcard collection jointly
\nheld by the Antara Photojournalistic Gallery and The Lontar
\nFoundation.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately the exhibit, featuring 39 panels of almost 200
\npostcards, was not prepared as well as the book. The show fails
\nto answer why stamps sometimes appear on the picture side of the
\npostcards. Only the book answers this obvious question. The
\nauthor suggests that a warning stamped on cards, reserving that
\nside of the card exclusively for the address prior to 1907, is
\nwhy many card senders pasted the stamp on the least noticeable
\ncorner of the picture.<\/p>\n
None of the written messages are displayed in the exhibition.
\nMoreover, the grouping of the cards into sets of six images
\nrepresenting different themes is awkward. Few of the sets really
\noffer any interpretive information.<\/p>\n
Two sets that are interpretive are the six different views of
\nthe present day Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, just across the street
\nfrom the gallery, and the six different captions on a single
\nphotograph by Kassian Cephas, Indonesia's first photographer.
\nThis panel shows the different ways the card's publisher marketed
\nthe card. One card is called \"Javanese beauty\", while the
\ncaptions on the other five refer to the same figure as \"Javanese
\nmaiden\", \"Native beauty\" and even \"Sundanese maiden\".<\/p>\n
The rest of the panels consist merely of nice photographs from
\nthe past. While this kind of display may spark interest in
\nIndonesia's colonial past and facilitate comparative study, it
\nunfortunately does little in terms of furthering the
\nunderstanding of history.<\/p>\n
An amateur historian visiting the show will be disappointed.
\nThe exhibition is too conventional for such unusual historical
\nartifacts.<\/p>\n
How could anyone treat postcards, which have such potential
\nfor historical inquiry and study, the same way as normal
\npictures? Like coins, postcards have two sides, each with its own
\npoint of view.<\/p>\n
Although the book and exhibit were produced by literary
\npublishers while the Antara gallery is a photogallery, there is
\nno reason for the lack of creativity in communicating the
\ntremendous historical potential of postcards. After coming up
\nwith such a great title for the book and the exhibition, how
\ncould anyone not think about showing both sides of the cards --
\nboth points of view -- and their wealth of information?<\/p>\n
Former Points of View will be on show at the Galeri
\nFotojurnalistik Antara on Jl. Antara 59, Pasar Baru, Central
\nJakarta, until Sept. 27, 1995. The softcover book will sell for
\nRp 65,000 (US$28.8) and the hardcover edition for Rp 85,000.<\/p>",
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