Portret van een man met een baard en een pijp Possibly 1912 - 1919

This photo, "Portret van een man met een baard en een pijp," was made by the American Automatic Photo Cy. sometime around the turn of the century. It’s just a simple black and white portrait, but there is something about the directness that draws me in. The texture of this photograph, the way the light catches on the man’s weathered face, it all feels so present, you know? I’m stuck on the slight blurring of the image, and the lines and marks on the print. It's not just about documenting a face, but also about capturing the texture of a moment. I keep wondering, what was it like to sit for this photo? That pipe in his mouth – is it a prop or a personal statement? I keep looking at the little details and get sucked into thinking about these questions. It makes me think of Diane Arbus, or perhaps some of the portraits of August Sander, artists who really captured the feel of a person and a particular moment in time. I'm left wondering about who this man was, his life, and the stories he could tell.