Portret van een onbekende jongen uit Schoorl 1885 - 1931

This is Frederika Henriëtte Broeksmit’s ‘Portret van een onbekende jongen uit Schoorl’, and the image is made using etching. I love how she's built up the image with a network of fine lines, almost like she's knitting the boy's face into existence. You can really see the hand of the artist in the way she’s worked the plate. The lines around the boy’s face are light and feathery, giving him a soft, almost ethereal quality. But then, around the eyes, the lines are darker, more defined, really drawing you into his gaze. It’s like she’s not just showing us what he looks like, but also hinting at something deeper, something thoughtful. It reminds me of the work of Käthe Kollwitz, who also used etching to explore themes of childhood and loss. But where Kollwitz is often heavy and dramatic, Broeksmit has a lightness, a delicate touch that feels very personal and intimate. Art is a conversation across time.