Quoting Sy Parish in the film One Hour Photo, “no one ever takes photographs of something they want to forget.” This might be how people use photography as their medium of recording family history. They took photographs of something they want to remember, to be cherished. Almost all archives contain pictures of moments related to the family issues; birth, marriage, work, partners, or even death, the sadness that they want to remember.

That would be the reason why people at that time really used the camera well. They photograph only important matters since camera and film might be considered luxurious. But then again, when the medium becomes more and more available to the people. They might produce simple and modest images like this. Not so serious, not so important.

This photograph of a simple object—snacks—is a rare thing to be found in family photographs especially before the 1980s. Most family photographs recorded people, events, or activity. While this one simply shows an object in the house. After this period, photography became more available so the tendency to record has somehow shifted. People not only photographed things that are important, but also anything less important.

Family photographs found in Malang, 1987.