Portret van een onbekend kind met hoofd in de handen 1900 - 1930

This is a photograph by Rotophot, its date is unknown, and it’s a portrait of a child with her head in her hands. The image has this amazing, ghostly quality, achieved through a limited range of silvery tones. Look how the light softly models the child's face and hands, creating a delicate balance between light and shadow. This approach to photography turns the child’s expression into something so tender and immediate. The texture in this piece is all about the subtle gradations of tone, the way the light catches in her hair and on her skin. See how the softness of the focus almost dissolves the edges, giving the image a dreamlike feel. The image reminds me of Julia Margaret Cameron, another photographic artist who explored the soft textures and hazy light that is so expressive and human. There’s no right way to feel or think about this image; its open-endedness is where its power lies.