Bevrijding Amsterdam 1945

Willem van de Poll captured this small, square moment of jubilation in Amsterdam with his camera. It’s an image awash with grey tones, from the buildings to the sky, save for the bright faces of the crowd. I imagine van de Poll, dodging and weaving through the throng, trying to find the right angle. What was it like for him, I wonder? Was he swept up in the euphoria, or was he just another detached observer, coolly framing the scene? I’m drawn to the way the buildings lean in on the crowd, as though the whole city is breathing a sigh of relief. There's a sense of release, a collective exhale, beautifully caught here. It’s a reminder that even in the darkest times, there’s always a possibility of light, of people coming together. It reminds me a little of the photography of Lisette Model and Helen Levitt, who also found ways of capturing spontaneous emotion in city spaces. It’s a reminder that photography can be a form of witnessing, and also, a kind of hope.