Batik, Sifting Rice & Women Working – Antique Photogravure of Batak People 1900
€ 370
Original antique · The actual sheet photographed · Certificate of authenticity on request · Sold unframed · Worldwide shipping from € 15 (rates)
Date
1900
Mapmaker / artist
G.R. Lambert & Co., Medan / Singapore, c.1900
Publisher
North Sumatra, Indonesia
Technique
Photogravure
Sheet size
45 × 34 cm (17.7 × 13.4 in)
Condition
Good
Reference
BG-05079-45
What the condition grades mean
Excellent
Bright and clean, with no faults worth mentioning.
Very good
Only light signs of age, such as faint toning.
Good
Normal signs of age for a sheet of this period: toning, some foxing, small marks or neat old repairs.
Fair
Clear faults such as staining, tears or repairs, priced to match.
Every fault we see is written in the condition note, and the whole sheet is shown uncropped in the photos.
Condition
Wear consistent with age and use. Very good for age. Paper shows the usual scattered foxing and light age toning in the margins. Image area clean with only minor handling marks. Wide original margins present. No tears or repairs.
About this sheet
Batik, Sifting Rice & Women Working – Antique Photogravure of Batak People c.1900
An exceptional original photogravure from circa 1900, published by the renowned studio G.R. Lambert & Co., depicting women of the Batak ethnic group of North Sumatra in various aspects of daily life. This rare multi-image plate brings together three scenes in one composition:
• A Batak woman wearing a traditional wrap garment • A woman winnowing rice with a flat tray • A remarkable group scene of Batak women pounding rice using long wooden pestles in a raised wooden trough
These photographs were taken during the colonial period when North Sumatra experienced dramatic economic and cultural shifts due to plantation development. The Batak communities shown here still lived within deep forest culture, and this plate represents an important ethnographic record of clothing, tools, and agricultural practice before modernization.
Richly printed with excellent tonal range, the image reveals fine detail in faces, textile folds, and tropical surroundings, offering significant social-historical interest for collectors of Southeast Asian heritage and early anthropology photography.
Printed on thick wove paper and steam-pressed in photogravure — the highest quality reproductive printing technique of the era — prized for its depth and permanence.
A striking piece suitable for framing and display in cultural or academic settings.
Condition: Very good for age. Paper shows the usual scattered foxing and light age toning in the margins. Image area clean with only minor handling marks. Wide original margins present. No tears or repairs.
Framing Tips: A warm off-white or ivory mat with a dark wood or teak frame complements the subject and era beautifully. For a more museum-style presentation, choose a thin black frame with UV-protective glazing.
