The five photographs, which appear on the two sides of this album leaf, were once part of a larger album. One side features a single, large photograph of a group of schoolgirls with their teacher. The other side features three photographs of a young man in both formal and informal settings, plus a large photograph with a group of schoolboys in an outdoor setting, inscribed: 18 October 1920 / Buitenzorg.Peranakans commissioned photographs to document their families and important life events such as births, marriages, and deaths. They also commissioned photographs to record their involvement in business enterprises, and in social causes such as schools, academic societies, religious groups, and in community and cultural associations.With improvements in camera technology, it became possible to take photographs without the assistance of a studio in the first decades of the 20th century. Increasingly, photographs were taken outdoors, or in domestic spaces, rather than in studios. However, amateur photography remained relatively expensive and was limited to the wealthier members of society who could afford to take photographs for pleasure and to document their daily lives.
