Berti Hoppe bij de Indische tentoonstelling in het Westbroekpark en op de pier te Scheveningen 1932 - 1938

This is one page from a photo album of black and white photographs by Herman Besselaar. Here the texture of the photographic paper has an almost velvety feel, softening the contrast. In the left image, the subject, Berti Hoppe, is captured strolling, her figure is framed against an exotic architectural backdrop, possibly from the 'Indian Exhibition'. The composition strikes me as more than a mere snapshot, there’s a careful arrangement of elements that speaks to Besselaar’s eye, almost as if the architecture is performing with her. There's a curious play of light and shadow across the page, each photograph a small window onto another world, yet bound together by the album page itself. The page is like a canvas, each photo carefully placed like a collage. You can see echoes of artists like Hannah Hoch who used collage and photography to create surreal and thought-provoking images. Besselaar shares this playful, and inquisitive approach to image making.