Research & Metadata

Research Value

This collection offers significant value for researchers in multiple fields:

Art History: Documents the evolution of commercial graphic design in Indonesia
Colonial Studies: Reveals visual representations of power relationships in commercial contexts
Cultural Studies: Shows the transformation of cultural identity through everyday objects
Economic History: Illustrates the commodification of Indonesian resources during and after colonization

By making these ephemeral materials accessible and adequately contextualized, the collection contributes to a more nuanced understanding of Indonesia's colonial past and post-colonial development.

Metadata Approach

This digital collection employs a carefully designed metadata schema that:

Preserves original Indonesian nomenclature while providing standardized access points
Balances comprehensive documentation with practical usability
Organizes information into logical groups: identification, physical attributes, and contextual information
Maintains original provenance information while enriching entries with controlled vocabularies
Captures uniquely Indonesian concepts that lack direct Western equivalents

Following the FAIR and CARE Framework

Resource Template

The following table outlines the comprehensive metadata schema used for cataloging items in the "Coffee, Cigar & Tea: The Ephemera Reclamation of Dutch East Indies Trade Goods" digital collection.

Original Label	Namespace	Data Types/Vocabularies	Alternate Label
Identification
Title	dcterms:title	Text
Creator	dcterms:creator	Text
Contributor	dcterms:contributor	Text
Publisher	dcterms:publisher	Text
Identifier	dcterms:identifier	Text
Description
shortDescription	bibo:shortDescription	Text	Brief Description
Description	dcterms:description	Text	Physical Description
Physical Attributes
Extent	dcterms:extent	Text	Measurement
Medium	dcterms:medium	Getty: Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) Getty: Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA) Nomenclature: Communication Objects
has technique	vra:hasTechnique	Getty: Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) Getty: Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA)	Technique
Geographic & Temporal Context
Coverage	dcterms:coverage	GeoNames: The GeoNames geographical database Locations: Locations from Wikidata	Place of Origin
Date	dcterms:date	Text
Language	dcterms:language	GeoNames: The GeoNames geographical database LC: MARC Languages	Language of origin
Classification
Type	dcterms:type	Getty: Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) Getty: Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA) LC: Cultural Heritage Organizations RDA: File Type	Object Type
Category	curation:category	Getty: Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) Getty: Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA)	Categories
Subject	curation:subject	Getty: Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) Getty: Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA) LC: Cultural Heritage Organizations RDA: Illustrative Content
Administrative
Rights	dcterms:rights	RightsStatements.org: Standardized rights statements for online cultural heritage	Right Statements
Source	dcterms:source	Text	Source/URL
Date Submitted	dcterms:dateSubmitted	Text
Collection	curation:collection	Text

This metadata structure uses standardized controlled vocabularies from trusted authorities including the Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT), Cultural Objects Name Authority (CONA), Library of Congress (LC) standards, and RightsStatements.org to ensure consistent description while maintaining cultural context.

Metadata example below

Title: Semar Trademark Tea Label; Teh Label Cap Semar (assigned by Grafis Nusantara) (Original Language)
Creator: Unknown
Contributor: Rahmat Jaka
Publisher: Grafis Nusantara
Place of Origin: Indonesia
Categories: product labels; product packages
Brief Description: Cap Semar Tea Package Design" from Indonesia. A 40-gram commercial tea package layout design featuring the Javanese wayang character Semar.
Physical Description: A flattened package design layout in pink, green, and black on white paper. It features "TEH" (Tea) at the top and "SEMAR" at the bottom in contrasting colors with a decorative border pattern. The word "Cap," which means trademark, appears in smaller script text. The central illustration depicts Semar, a prominent wayang puppet character, wearing traditional Javanese attire in pink and green. The package indicates a 40-gram net weight.
Measurement: 4 x 6.5 cm ( 1.57 x 2.55 inches)
Subject: Wayang
Medium: printing paper; adhesive-coated paper
Date: 1950—1960
Technique: offset lithographs; screen printing units
Right Statements: IN COPYRIGHT - EDUCATIONAL USE PERMITTED
Identifier: 154
Source/ URL: https://grafisnusantara.com/archive/teh-cap-semar/
Object Type: seal stickers
Language of origin: Indonesia
Collection: Tea Label

Item sets: Coffee, Cigar & Tea: The Ephemera Reclamation of Dutch East Indie Trade Goods.

Media: Cap Semar Tea Label (assigned by Grafis Nusantara)

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