Portret van een zittende baby in witte jurk 1889 - 1925

This carte de visite by Josephus Hendrikus Petrus Coppens at the Rijksmuseum shows a baby in a white dress, sat for its portrait. I love how this artwork has a kind of sepia wash – the color of old photographs. The softness of the focus creates a timeless effect. The surface has a lovely sheen, almost like old enamel. It's incredible how the artist captured the baby's expression, that kind of serious, unblinking stare that only babies have, as if they're trying to figure out the mysteries of the universe. What was Coppens thinking? Was he trying to capture the innocence of childhood, or maybe something deeper, like the potential of a new life just beginning? There's something deeply human about portraiture. Artists have been doing it for centuries, each trying to capture a little piece of what it means to be alive. And, each artwork inspires the next, in an endless conversation.