Portret van een baby 1860 - 1900

This is Jas Gartside’s petite portrait of a baby, likely captured with early photographic methods. The child, framed by an oval, wears a lace bib and is swathed in textures, a tableau that speaks volumes. Notice how the circular enclosure, this golden halo, harkens back to Renaissance Madonnas. The round frame mirrors the divine, setting the infant apart while also connecting it to a lineage of sacred images. The lace, too, once a symbol of wealth, is here democratized, adorning the baby in a mantle of purity and innocence. Consider the “Bambino” swaddled in cloth; a motif as old as time. The child’s gaze, direct and unburdened, draws us in, stirring ancient longings for protection and nurturing. The photograph encapsulates an emotional intensity that transcends time. It resurfaces and evolves, carrying echoes of the past into our present.