Untitled c. 1910

This photograph of a girl, two cats, and some flowers, we don't know when it was made, or by whom. I wish we did! It's interesting when there's no name attached, you know? It opens up a space for speculation. What was she thinking, this person with the camera? Were they trying to capture something ephemeral, a moment of everyday beauty? The light is so soft, it almost feels like a dream. The girl is a little blurred, not smiling - and the cats are more present, lapping up milk. You start to wonder, what else was happening that day? Maybe they were experimenting, trying to catch something real and imperfect, that feeling of seeing beauty in unexpected places. I'd love to see them in conversation with other photographers - Gertrude Käsebier comes to mind. These artists are all trying to capture life as it is, not how it should be. There is no definitive reading, so it is nice to just look and wonder and be reminded of the possibilities and pleasures of image making.