Portret van een onbekende jonge man Possibly 1912 - 1919

This tiny photograph, "Portret van een onbekende jonge man" by Electrische Snelfotografie, is a portal. It's like stumbling upon a forgotten dream, isn't it? The limited grayscale palette is like a quiet conversation, each tone a whisper of light and shadow. I imagine the photographer experimenting with the then-new technology, trying to capture a likeness, but also something more, a sense of the sitter's inner life. Look at the slight blur around the edges, a sign of the process, like a painter's brushstroke. The way the light catches his cheekbone, the details of his tie, it all feels so immediate and fleeting. It makes me think of Eugène Atget, who also captured the disappearing world around him. It’s a reminder that art is never finished, just abandoned, and that every image, like every person, contains a world of possibilities.