Portret van een vrouw met een hoed Possibly 1912 - 1919

This small, vintage photograph, “Portret van een vrouw met een hoed,” by Electrische Snelfotografie, captures a woman in a large, dark hat. It feels like a moment caught in time, or maybe one that’s been weathered by time. Look at the damage across the surface, how it cuts right through the image. These accidental marks aren’t a distraction. They’re part of the story. Photography is an alchemic process: a way to fix light and capture an impression. Here, the artist is as much a part of the process as time and the degradation of the image over time. There’s something about her gaze, direct and unflinching, that feels very modern. It makes you wonder, who was she? What was her story? The longer I look at it, the more I feel like I know less, and that’s the beauty of a portrait like this. It’s an invitation to imagine. It reminds me of some of the work of John Stezaker, in the way that he invites us to question how much a picture tells us.