Customer Reviews

Indonesia 500 Early Postcards

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a splendid compilation of postcards of Indonesian architecture and peoples taken primarily by Dutch photographers around the turn of the 20th Century. The postcards are grouped according to geographic region, with Sumatra, Java, Batavia (now Jakarta), Bali, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya (now Papua) being the principal groupings. The postcards capture every aspect of traditional Indonesian life, from a royal wedding in Yogyakarta to a gathering of Asmat tribesmen in Papua.

I purchased this compilation for my mother, who is Indonesian and ethnically Sundanese, and she immediately turned to the section on Jakarta, where she spent her childhood and teenage years. Although the postcards were taken over one hundred years ago, she was able to recall many familiar landmarks. For my mother to be able to journey back via postcards to a city that she once called home is a testament to the exoticness and beauty that each and every one of the postcards in this compilation holds. Take this opportunity to see the rich, cultural history of Indonesia for yourself.

This is a really nice overview with superb cards of colonial Indonesia. It is a lot of fun to go through. I would have loved a bit more text by the well-informed and expert writers. This book is another testament to how valuable old postcards can be to recreating the history of an area and people who lived there.

This book is just terrific in concept, beautifully published. My one complaint is that the postcards are reproduced too small. If only they could have been reproduced as is, it would have been excellent.