Geënsceneerde voorstelling van Australische soldaten die rust nemen na een mars in Zuid-Afrika 1900

This stereoscopic photograph by Underwood & Underwood depicts Australian soldiers resting in South Africa. Notice how each figure is weighed down by a pack, a rifle, and a hat. In unison, they bring their hands to their heads, obscuring their faces in a gesture of weary relief. This covering of the face appears throughout time, from antiquity to the present, marking moments of intense emotion. Think of Agamemnon hiding his face in grief upon returning home, or a more recent photograph of a grieving parent in times of war. It represents a primal response to trauma, a wish to disappear into oneself. The uniformity of this gesture here speaks to the shared trauma of war, a collective psychological burden. Perhaps, subconsciously, we are drawn to these images because they mirror our own experiences of grief, loss, and the search for solace in times of distress. This simple covering of the face resonates across centuries, reappearing as a visual echo in our collective memory.