Portret van F. en E. van der Hooft Bicker Caarten 1907

This portrait of F. and E. van der Hooft Bicker Caarten was made by Friedrich Carel Hisgen. It's a small, black-and-white photograph, capturing a moment frozen in time. What strikes me is the formality, but it's softened by the textures. Look at the man's suit, the subtle sheen suggesting a weighty fabric. And then the woman's dress, with its delicate lace and intricate details. You can almost feel the weight of the fabric, the stiffness of their collars. I’m drawn to the way the light catches on the man's mustache. There’s a softness there, a hint of personality. It's as if the artist is trying to find the humanity within the constraints of a formal portrait. Hisgen reminds me of artists like Nadar, who were also pushing the boundaries of portraiture. It makes you think about how we see each other, and how much we can really know from a single image.