Vier foto's van Greet, Lien en J. Chr. Lapp, een auto en een huis, Wanasari 1909

This is a page from a photo album, “Vier foto's van Greet, Lien en J. Chr. Lapp, een auto en een huis, Wanasari,” by Carolina (Loentje) Frederika Onnen. It’s undated but the first thing that catches my eye is the way the photographs feel like sketches; quick impressions of a time and place. The sepia tones flatten the images, blending foreground and background. Look at the way Onnen frames each shot, like a painter deciding what to include and exclude. It's a deliberate act of choosing, showing us what she finds meaningful. The handwritten captions give the photos a sense of intimacy, like notes in a visual diary. The photograph of the car on a dusty road makes me think of other artists who captured the changing world, like the futurists celebrating speed and technology. But here, it's quieter, more personal. The photograph isn’t just a record, but a portal into a memory.