De Witt's Poortje te Woudrichem 1901

This photograph of 'De Witt's Poortje te Woudrichem', by an anonymous artist, is like a faded memory, rendered in soft browns and creams. The composition centres around the stone archway, but it's the way the light seems to seep into every corner that really grabs me. I’m interested in the way that the surface of the photograph seems to dissolve the scene. Look closely, and you'll notice how the textures of the stone and brick almost blend into a haze. The figures are like ghosts, barely there, yet adding to the overall atmosphere. The photographer isn't trying to show us something clear or definite, they want to evoke a mood, a feeling of passing time, or maybe a story half-remembered. Think about the work of Eugène Atget, his documentation of old Paris, the way he captures the city's soul. Like Atget, this anonymous photographer shows us how a photograph can be more than just a picture, it can be a poem.