glasnegatief c. 1895 - 1925

This is a glass negative by W.G. Hondius van den Broek, and the tonality is all topsy-turvy – a ghostly light and dark reversal. What I see is not what he saw! Imagine the artist in his dark room. The light is dim and the air is thick with chemicals. He’s trying to capture a moment, but it’s fleeting, like a memory. He has arranged two children, maybe his daughters, maybe not, among the tall grasses. The girls are absorbed in their own worlds – one is arranging flowers, while the other plays with a toy horse. I think he's trying to freeze time here. There’s something magical about it. It's as if he's speaking to another artist from another time, maybe me, and it's saying, "Look, I was here. I saw this. And now you see it too.” And I get it! I am part of that dialogue.