Groepsportret van een groep onbekende vrouwen met verkoopwaar op weg naar de Pasar 1891 - 1912

Christiaan Benjamin Nieuwenhuis made this photograph of a group of women with goods for sale, on their way to the Pasar, we don't know when. It’s a study in tone, a symphony of greys and browns. It invites us to reflect on the process of image-making itself. Look at the woman in the middle row, slightly off-center, holding a patterned cloth across her lap. It’s impossible to know if the artist intended this but the light falls perfectly on her, creating a focal point amidst the muted tones. It’s not just a record; it’s a composition, a carefully arranged tableau. The way the light plays across the varied textures—the rough woven bags, the smooth faces—creates a tactile experience. It’s a photograph that asks us to slow down, to really see. This feels a little like a Eugène Atget picture to me, that slightly detached humanism that speaks of a particular moment in time. Art is about seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world in new ways.