Portret van twee onbekende meisjes before 1903

This photographic portrait of two unknown girls was created by Gertrude Kasebier, though the exact date remains unknown. The composition is immediately striking. The two figures are closely framed, their faces dominating the scene and pulling the viewer into their space. The monochromatic palette adds a sense of timelessness. Kasebier’s soft-focus aesthetic aligns her work with the Pictorialist movement. Here, she employs this technique to imbue the photograph with an atmospheric quality. The diffused light delicately models the girls' features, while the intimate framing and careful arrangement of the figures suggest a close bond between them. Pay particular attention to how the use of soft focus challenges the sharp, objective realism typically associated with photography. Kasebier blurs the line between photography and painting, thus elevating photography to the realm of fine art, where emotion and aesthetic sensibility take precedence over pure representation. The muted tones and gentle light serve to highlight the emotional depth of the image.