Portret van een onbekende man c. 1910 - 1920

This sepia photograph of an unknown man was taken by P. Steensma sometime between the late 1800's and the early 1930's. The tones are soft, and warm, pulling the sitter forward. I wonder about Steensma and his unknown subject. Was this a commission? A snapshot of a friend? What were they thinking? What were their lives like? The sepia tones and smooth gradations of light give the image a dreamy quality, like a faded memory. There’s something inherently melancholic about old photographs, because they are so concrete, and yet so distant. I like to think that, in a way, Steensma was feeling that same tension, trying to capture the essence of this man, knowing that time would inevitably transform their reality into something else entirely. Photographers and artists are constantly in conversation, aren't they? Each one building on what came before, inspired by the past but always pushing forward.