Drie kleuters in een tuin zittend onder een paraplu, waarschijnlijk de tweeling Ad (rechts) en Johanna (links) en Han (midden) van der Kop after 1903

Willem Carel van der Kop created this gelatin silver print titled ‘Three toddlers in a garden, sitting under an umbrella’ sometime in the early 20th century. During this period, childhood was increasingly viewed as a distinct and innocent phase of life. The children here, likely from a middle-class background given their clothing and the presence of a photographer, are neatly dressed in light-colored smocks, embodying the era's emphasis on childhood purity and innocence. Yet, the umbrella casts a shadow that hints at the complexities of protection and vulnerability. The umbrella itself becomes a symbol of class, of the kind of care and protection afforded to some children and not others. Van der Kop captures a fleeting moment of childhood, a stage marked by play and discovery, but also shaped by the societal expectations of gender and class. In the end, this photograph is a touching, yet complex look at childhood at the turn of the century.