Fotoalbum kinderportretten met 30 foto's 1860 - 1900

This 'Fotoalbum kinderportretten met 30 foto's' is attributed to L.J. Hartkamp. The album's visual presence is defined by a certain formality. The cover features a symmetrical, embossed design set against a textured backdrop, framed by a border. The colour, a muted purple, along with the linear and geometric pattern, evokes a sense of historical distance. The album's structure invites a semiotic interpretation. The embossed shapes can be seen as signs referencing traditional motifs, yet their abstraction moves away from direct representation. The choice of material—perhaps leather or a leather-like substance—and its treatment through embossing suggests a tension between the tactile and the symbolic. The album isn't merely a container but a carefully constructed object that mediates our access to the images within. The work functions as a cultural artifact, reflecting and shaping perceptions of childhood through its design and presentation. It challenges fixed meanings, encouraging us to consider how such an object engages with our understanding of memory, representation, and identity.