Montgomery in bevrijd Amsterdam Possibly 1945 - 1949

Here, we see a small black and white photograph of Montgomery in liberated Amsterdam. It was created by an anonymous artist at an unknown date. I can imagine the photographer holding their breath, trying to capture the historical moment but also thinking about how it might look, how to frame it. Did they consider the composition or were they swept away by the energy of the crowd? Look at Montgomery’s raised hand. It strikes me as an odd gesture because he’s neither quite waving nor giving a military salute. The people behind him are out of focus, a mass of excited faces and arms. I wonder about them, their stories. And the two men in the car, one with his back to us, the other grinning. They, too, are part of this moment, and the photographer has pulled them into the picture, freezing them in time. Like painting, photography captures light and shadow to create a sense of depth and emotion. It's a different medium, of course, but there's a similar desire to freeze a moment, to make it permanent.