George Breitner en Marius Bauer in een rijtuig in Londen c. 1897 - 1910

This is George Breitner's photograph, "George Breitner en Marius Bauer in een rijtuig in Londen". Imagine being Breitner riding in that carriage in London. What was he thinking when he looked through the lens? Did he reflect upon what he saw, or did he snap the picture straight away? The gray palette gives an impression of the London smog, where everything is covered by a thin layer of dirt. But somehow, Breitner manages to capture the essence of a daily scene. Look at the woman in the foreground with her hat. Is she part of Breitner’s group, or just an incidental figure in the hustle and bustle of the city? It's a snapshot of life, a moment frozen in time. The photograph is not just a record of a scene, but also an invitation to reflect on the nature of time, perception, and the act of seeing. It seems that Breitner sought to record the truth of his time, even when—or perhaps especially when—it was messy and contradictory.