Portret van twee kinderen op een stoel c. 1905 - 1920

Curator: Let's talk about this photograph, shall we? Editor: Absolutely! This is "Portret van twee kinderen op een stoel" (Portrait of Two Children on a Chair) from around 1905-1920 by Koene & Büttinghausen. It's a gelatin-silver print. I find it very sweet, but also a bit melancholy, that the children don’t quite meet our gaze. What stands out to you the most? Curator: Melancholy is interesting…I see it too, that kind of wistful remove often present in portraiture of the era, perhaps brought on by long exposures? It speaks to me about how we construct memory through images. Notice the careful arrangement, not just of the children, but of the stylized frame around the photo. It feels almost like a stage set, doesn't it? Those birds... are they rising or falling? It’s open to our interpretation. Editor: I hadn’t really considered the birds. I was just taking them as decorative elements! Curator: Decorative, yes, but what do decorations *do*? They add another layer to the story. To me, it almost elevates the photo beyond a simple portrait. There's a yearning quality, wouldn’t you agree? For something beyond the here and now. Editor: I see what you mean! Now that you point it out, there is something reaching in the way the birds frame the photo. So more than just a moment, it’s about…an aspiration? Curator: Exactly! Perhaps it is less melancholy and more a poignant, very human, longing. Don’t you think? The studio added artifice, which becomes an expression of its own. It reminds me, that when we document something, we always document our desires, not just the event itself. Editor: That’s a perspective I'll be turning over in my mind for days! Thank you! Curator: The pleasure was all mine! Never underestimate those birds.