Beatrix en Irene in het Kabouterhuis 1946

K. Raucamp made this photograph called 'Beatrix en Irene in het Kabouterhuis', but we don't know exactly when or with what. Look at the tonal range, how the light falls and darkens. Photography involves a process of deciding what to capture and how to frame it. The material quality of this piece, the grain and texture of the photograph, is what really draws me in. There's a stillness that has a kind of magic, yet it feels very immediate, and real. You can almost feel the quiet anticipation of childhood play. Notice the little stool on the right. Such a simple shape, and yet it serves as a crucial part of the composition, grounding the scene and adding to the intimacy of the space. It reminds me a little of some of the photographs taken by Eugène Atget in Paris. Both have this sense of capturing a moment in time, preserving something that might otherwise be forgotten. It's interesting how art allows for ambiguity, allowing us to bring our own interpretations.