Vrouwen bij een waterput in Gastouri op Korfoe before 1910

This photograph of women at a well in Gastouri, Corfu, was made by Frédéric Boissonnas sometime in the early 20th century. Look at how the greyscale tones build up the image from dark to light, a dance of light and shadow that gives it this timeless quality. It makes me think about how the simplest materials – light, paper, and some chemicals – can create such depth. What I find interesting is how the texture almost feels like a painting. The grainy surface and subtle gradations create an atmosphere that pulls you in. Consider the women gathered around the well; their forms are soft and diffused, almost dissolving into the background. It’s as if Boissonnas wanted to capture a moment, not just an image, highlighting the process and the feeling of the scene. Thinking about other artists, someone like Julia Margaret Cameron comes to mind, who also used photography to create soft, dreamlike portraits. Like her, Boissonnas invites us to see photography as more than just a record. It’s a form of expression, a conversation between the artist, the subject, and the viewer, full of questions rather than answers.