Vrouw in klederdracht met een hond aan een water c. 1900 - 1910

This old photograph, Vrouw in klederdracht met een hond aan een water, by G. Hidderley, captures a woman in traditional dress with a dog, near the water. It's a small image, only 75 mm high, so its intimacy draws you in. The tonal range is very limited, mostly blacks and greys, with very little bright white to give contrast. Look at the dark mass of the woman's skirt, how it anchors the image and contrasts with the lighter sky and the dog, who is looking right at us. The emulsion of the photo seems soft, not super crisp, giving the whole image a dreamlike quality. It feels like the scene is a memory slowly fading over time. There's something about the way the dog's bright coat contrasts with the woman's dark dress that makes me think of the push and pull between tradition and individuality. Like maybe the dog is a stand in for something more wild and untamed. Think of other artists like Eugène Atget, who documented old Paris. Like Atget, Hidderley captures a world that is quickly disappearing. There's always more than one way to see things.