Portret van een onbekend kind 1898 - 1915

This is a small portrait of an unknown child created by Ch. Schalch & Ebinger. Looking at this black and white photograph, I imagine the two artists carefully setting up their shot. There’s the patterned cushion, the ruffled dress, the adorable shoes barely poking out from under the hem. I wonder how long it took to get the kid to sit still, and if they even understood what was going on. Those old cameras required a lot of light. It's so formal, right? But there's something so raw and tender about the subject’s wide eyes and solemn expression. It reminds me that every artist is a kind of medium, capturing a moment in time, even when the subject is shrouded in mystery. We're all just trying to make sense of things, one image at a time, and in our collective efforts, we can find glimpses of truth and beauty.