Handen met huiduitslag veroorzaakt door syfilis before 1890

This anonymous image, titled ‘Handen met huiduitslag veroorzaakt door syfilis’, presents us with a stark, symmetrical composition. The hands are positioned against a neutral backdrop and fill almost the entire square frame. This direct presentation eliminates any distraction, focusing our attention solely on the hands and their dermatological condition. The monochrome palette strips away any potential distraction from color, emphasizing the texture and form of the skin. The symmetrical arrangement of the hands, almost mirrored, creates a sense of balance that is disrupted by the visual evidence of disease. By isolating and framing this medical condition, the image invites a semiotic reading. The hands, typically symbols of labor, care, and human connection, are here transformed into bearers of disease. This challenges our conventional understanding and highlights the body as a site of both vulnerability and medical scrutiny. The image thus functions as a complex sign, simultaneously repelling and compelling our gaze.