Vier groepsportretten van Loentje Onnen met vrienden 1910 - 1911

Here we see four group portraits by Carolina (Loentje) Frederika Onnen; intimate snapshots in an old photo album. Imagine her carefully composing each shot, gathering her friends, maybe giving a little direction, before clicking the shutter. The sepia tones lend a nostalgic haze to the images, inviting you to consider the past. What was it like to be young in the early 20th century? You can almost feel the grass beneath their feet, hear their laughter echoing through the trees. What were they thinking, dreaming? Each photo feels like a captured moment of joy, like a little poem about friendship. I wonder how her friends reacted when they saw the photographs. There is a real sense of connection between these young people. They must have inspired one another’s creativity and given each other strength. It makes me wonder what it might have been like to be among them. Painting and photography; both are embodied expressions which embrace ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.