Portret van Isabel Wachenheimer, bedoeld als eerste tekenen van leven aan Leo Blumensohn, 25 september 1945 in Davos Possibly 1945 - 1949

This photograph, a portrait of Isabel Wachenheimer, was made in Davos on September 25, 1945, and intended as a first sign of life to Leo Blumensohn. What strikes me is the texture of the image itself; you can almost feel the graininess, the paper's slight imperfections. It's a stark contrast, a monochrome world, but within that, there's a universe of tone and shadow. Look at the way the light catches her hair, how it defines the curve of her cheek. The background, a patterned wallpaper, almost vibrates against the stillness of her face. There's a tension there, a sense of life lived, of stories untold. It reminds me a bit of some of Alice Neel's portraits, that same unflinching gaze, the sense of a real person staring back at you. This image isn't just a record; it's a message, a lifeline. Like art, it embodies ambiguity and holds many truths.