Portret van een jongen, aangeduid als Phil. van Westen 1889 - 1925

This carte de visite, a portrait of a boy, was made by Josephus Hendrikus Petrus Coppens. The sepia tones create a hazy, dreamlike quality, a sense of looking back through time. It reminds me of how memory itself is a kind of filter, softening edges and muting colors. The surface is smooth, almost ethereal, which I think adds to the feeling of distance. Look closely, and you can see the subtle gradations of tone, the way the light catches the boy's face, especially around his eyes. There's a real tenderness in the way Coppens captures his young subject. I love how this piece feels connected to other works of its time, but also stands alone in its quiet intimacy. It reminds me a little of some of Julia Margaret Cameron's portraits. Ultimately, it’s a work that invites contemplation and embraces the beauty of ambiguity.