Ondine 1950

Frederick Sommer's 1950 photograph "Ondine" features a dismembered doll limb placed on a weathered wooden plank. The stark black and white composition creates a haunting and surreal atmosphere, evoking themes of mortality, decay, and the fragility of childhood. The image's stark simplicity and unsettling subject matter are characteristic of Sommer's work, which often explored the interplay of form and texture in the natural and man-made world. The photo's intimate scale and focus on detail invite viewers to contemplate the object's fragmented existence and the passage of time.