Scheveningen weer toegankelijk voor badgasten Possibly 1946

Charles Breijer made this small photograph, Scheveningen weer toegankelijk voor badgasten, using gelatin silver print. It’s the early postwar period and the beach is open to visitors again. I imagine Breijer walking along the beach, spotting this scene, maybe as a memento of the old times. The light is flat, as if bleached by the sun, and there are three characters, each going somewhere. I feel like he has captured an almost accidental moment, a gesture in time. The composition is pretty special because it is so unusual. This feels real. He wasn't trying too hard, like a casual snapshot, just documenting everyday life. These images have an innate ability to bring our own memories to the surface. I think what Breijer has offered here is a perfect little meditation on being together, being apart, and just simply being.