Isabel Wachenheimer verkleed als pop tijdens een gemaskerd bal, februari 1934 1934

This small photograph captures Isabel Wachenheimer dressed as a doll for a masked ball in February 1934, taken by an anonymous photographer. The image feels quite stark, and the doll-like costume somewhat unsettling. You can imagine the photographer, maybe a family member, trying to capture a moment of childhood innocence, but the stiffness of the pose and the unsettling quality of the costume create a strange atmosphere. I wonder what Isabel was thinking and feeling as she stood there, dressed as a doll, for the camera? Was it all fun and games, or was there a sense of being constrained, of having to perform a role? The photograph is a reminder that even in seemingly simple images, there can be layers of complexity and ambiguity, and a reminder that photographs can be easily staged and manipulated to tell a certain story, or hide one. It is a bit creepy, a bit sad, and makes me think about how children are often used as vessels for adult desires and fantasies.