Tobacco Warehouse and Press Machines in North Sumatra, 1900s

Photo: Carl Josef Kleingrothe/National Gallery of Australia

The development of transportation and telecommunications technology brought the world closer together, as did the Netherlands and the Dutch East Indies when steamship and telegraph technology were invented.

The flow of people, goods and capital was increasingly crowded between the two continents. Dutch companies were increasingly investing in the Dutch East Indies, one of which was in the plantation sector. Of course, high-priced commodities in the European market were chosen, such as tobacco.

The photo above is of a tobacco warehouse in a plantation in North Sumatra circa 1900's. The warehouse is semi-permanent, built with wooden frames and woven bamboo walls.

In the warehouse we can see there is a press machine. This machine is driven by four people, it is used to press the dried tobacco leaves so that they are solid and ready to be packed into a shape that is efficient and easy to transport. There is also a short rail line for shifting tobacco that has been pressed.