Portret van boekhandelaar Bernard Alfred Quaritch achter zijn bureau after 1913

This portrait of the bookseller Bernard Alfred Quaritch is an image of a man and his work; made by an anonymous artist, the piece shows Quaritch at his desk, surrounded by his inventory. What might it have been like to capture this image? One must decide how much to reveal and how much to conceal, and make choices regarding lighting, angle, and composition. What does the artist want to say about their subject? What is the best way to translate three-dimensional form onto a two-dimensional surface? How should the sitter be posed, and in what light? The artist of this portrait has chosen a high angle, and uses dark and light tones to bring out textures and shapes. Like all artists, this anonymous photographer would have been in conversation with other artists, responding and reacting to their works. This image invites us to consider how artists are constantly sharing ideas and inspiring one another to create new work!