Karl-Heinz Arndtheim, de tweede echtgenoot van Isabel Wachenheimer, in militair uniform zonder militair hoofddeksel op het hoofd, 1944-1955 1944 - 1955

This is an old black and white photograph, made by an anonymous photographer sometime between 1944 and 1955. It shows Karl-Heinz Arndtheim, the second husband of Isabel Wachenheimer, in his military uniform. What I find striking about it is the softness of the image. It’s not crisp, and the edges of the photograph are gently scalloped, giving it a tactile, almost painterly quality. There's a whole life contained here, a person caught at a particular moment. I imagine the photographer carefully composing the shot, thinking about light, and framing the subject. Perhaps they were friends, or maybe this was a formal portrait. Either way, there’s a sense of care and attention in the way the image is presented. Like, what does it mean to capture someone, like, really capture them? This photograph, like all photographs, creates an image for posterity and is a testament to the enduring power of images, and how they tell stories and connect us across time.