Familieportret bij tent c. 1901

This turn-of-the-century photograph by Frits Freerks Fontein Fz. captures a family moment with a tent, and what strikes me is its quiet, staged quality. It’s a tableau, a frozen moment where everyone’s playing a part, and the dog is doing the best acting. The composition is pretty formal. The light is soft, and the tones, mostly muted browns and creams, add to the dreamy feel. The surface of the print itself has a texture, a slight graininess that almost softens the scene, like a memory fading at the edges. The detail in the tent stripes, juxtaposed with the dog's blank expression creates an odd mood. I keep coming back to the dog; he is more than a prop, yet still part of the set dressing. It reminds me a bit of early Jeff Wall photographs, where everyday life is presented with this eerie, cinematic quality. It’s like Fontein is saying, “Here’s life, but seen through a lens of artifice.” And that’s what keeps me looking, this combination of the real and the constructed.