Pimpelmees op tak van vogelhuisje c. 1870 - 1940

Adolphe Burdet made this print of a bird on a branch outside its birdhouse sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. I imagine Burdet, a guy with a beard, carefully setting up his camera in his garden, probably in Switzerland. He would have waited patiently for this tiny bird to land on the branch, hoping to capture a moment of natural beauty. The photograph is a study in monochrome, shades of gray defining the textures of the wood and the soft feathers of the bird. Look at how the light catches the bark of the birdhouse, creating a pattern of dark and light, like an abstract drawing! The bird itself is perched so delicately, a little ball of fluff, almost as if it posed just for Burdet. It's interesting to think about how artists like Burdet, working long ago, were also trying to capture something fleeting, to preserve a moment in time, just like we do with our smartphones today. There is an ongoing conversation between all artists across time. He probably knew that he would never stop thinking about this moment once he saw it, so he took a picture.