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.