Kerstfeest bij de Reichsbahn Possibly 1943

This photograph, titled "Kerstfeest bij de Reichsbahn," meaning Christmas party at the Reichsbahn, was made by an anonymous artist and captures a peculiar gathering. The greyscale palette lends a sense of starkness to the scene, heightening the tension between the supposed festive occasion and the grim reality of its historical context. The image presents a group of people, many of whom are in uniform, gathered under a large swastika banner. The photograph's texture is grainy, with the light catching on the edges of the print, a reminder of its physical presence and the passage of time. It's almost as if the artist wanted to lay bare the contradictions of the era, a dark irony underscored by the attempt to merge celebration with ideology. It reminds me a little of some of Goya’s darker works; the way he could capture the sinister undertones of a seemingly normal setting, and the way he also never gives us answers.