Portret van een vrouw met een muts, leunend op een piëdestal c. 1913 - 1914

This is a vintage photograph of a woman with a hat, leaning on a pedestal, made by American Automatic Fotografie. The sepia tones and slightly blurred details give it the feel of a found object, something with a story to tell but unsure of its origin. I love the way the light catches the woman’s hat, almost like a halo effect, drawing your eye straight to her face. There's a stillness to her pose, but the surface of the photo is far from still; the scratches and marks feel like layers of time and memory etched into the surface. Each imperfection tells a story, like a painting where every brushstroke matters. It reminds me a little of the portrait work of Alice Neel, where imperfections and awkwardness become the heart of the work, and of course there is an element of Gerhard Richter in its blurred out effect. It’s the kind of piece that embraces ambiguity, inviting endless interpretations.