Eerste trein in Paramaribo c. 1905

Eugen Klein made this photograph of the first train in Paramaribo with a camera and photographic plate some time around the turn of the century. I love the tonal range in this photo. From the deep blacks of the train at the left of the image to the sunlit white of the train station roof, the photograph encompasses a whole world of greys and browns. Looking at the image you can see how the photographer has played with the light in order to give us a sense of the significance of the scene. The people in the image are grouped in front of the decorated train. These figures are central to the composition, but their faces are blurred in the photographic process, and you get a sense of a community that is captured at a specific moment in time. Like a painting by Manet, the photograph is a window into another world.