The Outlook c. 20th century

Karl Struss made this gelatin silver print, "The Outlook," and it's a whole vibe. The garden scene, with its ornamental gate and dreamy pond, feels like a stage set. I can imagine Struss, back then, carefully composing this shot, thinking about how the light filters through the wrought iron, how the water lilies sit. The photograph has this quiet, observant quality. The tones are soft and muted, which gives a sense of calm, almost like a memory. It reminds me a bit of some Pictorialist paintings, with their emphasis on atmosphere and mood, and a search for beauty in everyday scenes. Artists are always looking, always building on what they see, transforming the mundane into something otherworldly.