Portret van Joseph Cheetham met muts en winterjas 1903 - 1904

This portrait of Joseph Cheetham, in what I assume is his hat and winter coat, is a small photograph. It’s sepia-toned, of course, which gives it this old-timey feel, like something from a dusty attic. Looking at the texture, it’s incredible how the photographer captured the details of the fur collar and the woolly hat. You can almost feel the roughness, the way the light catches each individual strand. There’s a soft focus around the edges, which throws Cheetham into relief, like the photograph itself is giving him a hug. But it’s the shadows that really get me, especially around his eyes. They hint at something deeper, a kind of melancholic thoughtfulness, as if he's gazing into the middle distance. There's something about the directness of portraiture, in general, that always reminds me of the work of someone like Alice Neel. An unflinching gaze, but full of empathy, you know? Like, here I am, this is me. Take it or leave it.