Isabel Wachenheimer met bloemen in haar hand en in het haar tijdens het gouden huwelijksjubileum van Mathilde Wachenheimer-Wertheimer en Meir Wachenheimer, op 22 oktober 1934 Possibly 1934

This photograph of Isabel Wachenheimer, holding flowers at her grandparent's golden wedding anniversary, was captured on October 22, 1934, by an unknown photographer. The sepia tones and sharp contrast gives the image a unique material presence, a sense of light interacting with the treated paper. Look how the silver ink of the date glows against the dark mount. The artist has framed Isabel in such a way that all the focus is on her face and those flowers. See how the dark shadows pool behind her. She's holding a bouquet in one hand, and a daisy chain in the other, and it's all about the details, the texture of the petals, the way the light catches her hair. In a way, this is similar to the portraiture of someone like Alice Neel, whose paintings are both unflinchingly realistic and deeply empathetic, capturing the essence of her subjects with a raw, almost brutal honesty. Art's like a conversation, echoing through time, each artist adding their own voice to the mix. There is something haunting and beautiful about this photograph.