Drie kinderen in Volendamse klederdracht zittend op een kade c. 1900 - 1910

This photograph by G. Hidderley captures three children in Volendam, Netherlands dressed in traditional attire. Look at the tonal range; the soft grey palette makes the scene look almost dreamlike. I imagine the photographer setting up their equipment on the kade, carefully composing the shot to capture the children and the boats in the background. You know, photography back then wasn't as easy as whipping out your iPhone. It required patience and a keen eye. The choice to focus on these children, with their traditional costumes, shows an interest in preserving a cultural moment. It's a snapshot of a specific time and place. Hidderley's work reminds me a little of those early modernist photographers, who were also trying to capture everyday life and turn it into something meaningful. All artists are magpies really, picking up ideas from each other across time, experimenting and making something new.