Eiland in de Vecht bij Vreeland (Utrecht) 1900 - 1930

Richard Tepe made this photograph, titled *Eiland in de Vecht bij Vreeland (Utrecht)*, sometime in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. The sepia tones feel almost painterly. It reminds me of the Hudson River School painters, but in photo form. I imagine Tepe, lugging his equipment to the banks of the Vecht, composing the scene. Maybe he waited for the perfect light, that soft glow that makes the water shimmer and the trees stand tall. The composition, that subtle island with its towering trees mirrored in the water... there's a quietness, a stillness. You can sense the air is still and damp. I wonder, did he see the world in monochrome, or was it a conscious choice, a way to evoke a certain mood? I love how these old photos can feel so immediate and distant at once, and the way it connects to the paintings of the time is lovely.