G. Bouillaud created this photographic portrait of a young woman, we don't know when or where. It's small, intimate. The limited palette of blacks, whites, and grays lend it a timeless quality, which makes you think about photography as a form of alchemy. I mean, what is photography, but turning light into memory? There's something about the texture too – the way the light catches on the surface, almost like it's been dusted with powdered pigment. Look at the lace collar, rendered with such delicacy and precision. It’s almost as if Bouillaud is saying something profound about the relationship between light and shadow, presence and absence. Maybe it's me, but I find the work reminiscent of Julia Margaret Cameron, especially in the way she uses soft focus to evoke a sense of reverie and mystery. Like a conversation through the ages.