Mary's Well, Nazareth 1920

This silver gelatin print, called *Mary's Well, Nazareth*, was shot by Karimeh Abbud, a Palestinian photographer working in the first half of the twentieth century. It's pretty incredible to see how she’s framed everyday life here in Nazareth. You can imagine her setting up her camera to capture the scene. It’s so still. The buildings on the hill huddle together, the women are in the foreground fetching water, and there’s even a speed limit sign! I wonder what Abbud was thinking as she snapped this picture? Maybe she saw the inherent dignity in these ordinary moments. Or maybe she wanted to freeze a moment of time so that others might reflect on this place and its history. Think about how painting captures a moment, but photography captures a moment, too! Her photographs feel special, like a conversation with the past, or a message in a bottle. You get the sense that artists like Abbud are always in dialogue, sharing perspectives and inspiring new ways of seeing. It shows us that what we think is fixed can always be seen differently.