Isabel Wachenheimer in de tuin, oktober 1934 1934

This is Isabel Wachenheimer, pictured in someone's garden in October 1934, in a small, anonymous photograph. I wonder, was the photographer a family member, maybe? I try to imagine how this image came into being; the decision to record the moment, and the development of the photo itself. The simple shot contains the quiet innocence of childhood - Isabel seems so unaware she's being photographed, gazing serenely to the side. The monochrome palette gives it a timeless feel, and the way it’s been pasted onto a card backing with ‘October 34’ written in delicate silver ink seems so quaint to us now. As a painter, I find myself thinking about this moment: a person choosing to capture someone they love. Even in its simplicity, it’s an act of embodied expression. It’s like the photographer is saying, "I see you, Isabel." It's a conversation across time, between the artist and the viewer, an exchange of ideas. The ambiguity makes it all the more meaningful.