Karl Struss 1914

Paul L. Anderson made this photograph of Karl Struss with some kind of camera and darkroom process. It's got that old-timey sepia tone, and the lighting is so dramatic, casting shadows that really define the space. I love the way Anderson plays with light and shadow, especially on the patterned backdrop. It gives the image a dreamy, almost painterly quality. You can almost feel the texture of the paper and the subtle gradations of tone. It's like Anderson is not just capturing a likeness, but also exploring the possibilities of the photographic medium itself. The way he holds that little photograph is the best, it is like he is looking at a captured moment, just as we are now looking at him, decades later. It reminds me a little of some of Alfred Stieglitz's portraits, with their emphasis on mood and atmosphere. But there's something uniquely Anderson's in the way he captures the sitter's introspective gaze. It feels like a conversation across time.