Studioportret van Cor Solbach met haar kinderen Annie en Kees c. 1900 - 1920

Johannes Vlaanderen took this small photograph of Cor Solbach and her children, Annie and Kees, sometime around the turn of the century. Look at the subdued sepia tones, and how they give everything a kind of dreamlike quality. I wonder about this mother, sitting for a formal portrait with her kids. What was she thinking? Was she nervous? Did she feel awkward in front of the lens? The baby looks like any baby, kind of chunky and vaguely annoyed, whereas the slightly older child seems more self-aware and composed. The surface has imperfections, but those imperfections give it character and depth. Even though it's just a photograph, it makes me think about the relationship between the artist and the sitter, the act of bearing witness, and the quiet dignity of ordinary life. The photograph remains suspended in time, inviting our interpretations and reminding us of the shared human experience, even across generations.