Half-liggend etende soldaat before 1903

This photograph, Half-liggend etende soldaat, by Th. Schneider, shows a soldier eating, and was likely made with a camera and darkroom. The tones are muted and earthy. The sepia wash renders the scene almost dreamlike, distant. You can almost smell the dirt and sweat. Your eye goes straight to the eating soldier, lying prone, but you soon notice the huddle of other figures in the background. There's a tension between the intimate act of eating and the harsh, public setting of war. I'm reminded of Muybridge and his studies of figures in motion. Both artists use the camera to capture something raw and real. Ultimately, it’s a testament to the power of photography to find beauty and humanity in unexpected places.