Isabel Wachenheimer in de deuropening van een balkon, januari 1930 1930 - 1931

Curator: This gelatin silver print, titled "Isabel Wachenheimer in de deuropening van een balkon, januari 1930," captures a fleeting moment in what looks like a domestic space. It's… simple, but something about it makes me pause. What's your take? Editor: There's a disarming immediacy to it, isn't there? A young girl, caught mid-action near a doorway, seemingly oblivious to the photographer. It feels incredibly personal. Almost like stumbling upon a memory. Curator: Exactly! It makes me wonder about the photographer, maybe a family member. This wasn’t staged for art’s sake, right? The little girl isn’t “performing.” What do you notice in terms of framing, tone? Editor: It reads like a document of bourgeois family life. There’s a carefulness to the composition, but it avoids excessive idealization of childhood. I'm thinking about women photographers from this period, who also tried to make themselves known. The image does radiate something intimate. Curator: Yes! And beyond the subject, I'm drawn to the almost ethereal quality the gelatin silver print gives. Look at how the light spills onto the floor, turning something mundane into this gentle study of light and shadow. What do you think the balcony suggests here? It isn’t only setting. Editor: Absolutely. It’s not just about light; it’s about access, visibility, thresholds crossed and uncrossed. This child stands poised between domestic interior and potential exterior worlds. Think about who might be refused such spaces or access, then or now, on the basis of their identity. Curator: I never thought about it that way. And thinking of “then,” considering that 1930 in Europe must have been on people’s minds. I agree this might be more than only a memory snapshot. What looks familiar to you when you see this picture? Editor: I agree that it evokes a certain sentimentality and a deep sense of being. So it functions both as intimate remembrance and political commentary. Very nice. Curator: What started as an impromptu picture sparks a much deeper story, revealing the political side of it all. This work really lingers. Editor: Yes, there is so much that remains unsaid, yet is potently present, asking more from the viewers today.