Portret van familie voor een woning 1911

This warm sepia photograph captures a family gathered in front of a house, taken by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler. Looking at this, I feel like I’m peering through time. It makes me wonder what it was like for Kessler to frame this shot. Was it a candid moment, or carefully posed? Did the family feel nervous or excited? There’s a formality to the scene – everyone neatly arranged, perhaps to suggest unity and prosperity. But the very act of capturing a family in a domestic space also hints at a world of untold stories, secret dramas, and quiet moments. And the way the light catches the edges of their figures, softening their features, gives a sense of nostalgia. In a way, every photograph is like a painting – a translation of the world through a particular lens. Kessler has recorded a moment, but he’s also created a lasting impression of a family, a home, and a bygone era.