Old postcards spark questions of bygone times, lives

Old postcards spark questions of bygone times, lives

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia: 500 Early Postcards

Leo Haks & Steven Wachlin

Archipelago Press

288 pp

After turning the last page of Indonesia: 500 Early Postcards,
you might find yourself wondering about trivial, yet interesting,
things in our and our ancestors' lives.

For example, you will likely notice that almost all the
Indonesian and Dutch people captured on these postcards are
frowning, sometimes defiantly, at the camera -- with the
exception of the pictures of two Sundanese girls and a Javanese
mother.

Who actually invented the concept of posing and saying
"Cheese!" to the camera? And when? Certainly not between 1893 and
the 1930s, the period covered by the postcard collection in this
book.

Besides sparking questions, the book evokes other sentiments
and sensations, particularly among the more romantic readers.

One of the authors, Leo Haks, acknowledges that although his
book presents old postcards, it does not represent a history of
Indonesia.

"It does not present a complete picture of (the) past, nor
postulate any dynamics or implications of change," Haks explains.

"It is a visual introduction that aims to evoke those rich and
varied times and make them, to some extent, a part of ours."

Early Postcards thus reminds readers of what has remained and
what has changed.

Pictures of the Mentawai people, for example, show that not
much change has occurred over the decades, as pictures of today's
Mentawai in travel books or newspapers show a number of
similarities, such as their traditional dress and the surrounding
environment.

However, most of the pictures show changes -- for some of
which we should be thankful.

Early on in the book, on page 11, is see a black-and-white
postcard titled "Punishment of a chained prisoner". It depicts a
man wearing traditional Javanese dress who is chained to a pole,
his bottom half bare, and who is surrounded by eight men, all
donning Javanese attire.

We certainly should be thankful that this blatant mode of
punishment is long gone and that we now have subtler correctional
ways.

Some postcards bear endearing pictures, like the one with Jan
Pierterszoon Coen posing next to a baby elephant at a port in
Sabang, Aceh.

Another eye-catching postcard is one which depicts about a
dozen Acehnese men armed with a bamboo spear or a rifle, but most
of the postcards are of prominent buildings like great mosques,
churches, Chinese and Hindu temples, bridges and large European
buildings.

Indonesia: 500 Early Postcards is one readers will certainly
find returning to many times to discover something new each time.