Else Wachenheimer-Moos in verwachting van dochter Isabel, en op straat met een hond, maart 1928, Sofia 1928

This page from a photo album captures Else Wachenheimer-Moos in Sofia, March 1928, as she awaits the arrival of her daughter Isabel. These photographs present us with such a clear, descriptive scene. What I mean is: the surface of the print and the material qualities of light and shadow are so present. It is difficult to ignore the dog, but I would draw your attention to the buildings behind the subject. Look at the upper photograph and see how the bare branches of the trees reach up against the building. The rough stone of the wall in the lower photograph contrasts with the smooth panels of the wall in the other picture. These different textures suggest to me that the photographer was alive to the possibilities presented by the location. Photography is full of happy accidents and experimentation, just like any other art form. Like the work of Helen Levitt, this artist shows us that a keen eye and sensitivity to a particular time and place can be enough to produce a memorable artwork.