Marba Titzenthaler, dochter van de fotograaf, in zandbak op het dakterras van het woonhuis in de Friedrichstrasse, Berlijn Possibly 1915 - 1916

Waldemar Titzenthaler made this photograph of his daughter Marba in her rooftop sandpit in Berlin. What I love most about the photo is the gritty texture and the range of greys. I wonder, was he trying to document a memory, or was he just playing around with the camera? The sandpit is just a little square of dirt and wood, but to her, it's probably a whole world. I remember spending hours in the sandbox as a child, building castles, and imagining faraway lands. The wall behind her looks so strong, you can see the mortar cracking, while she is caught in the moment. There is a sense of stillness. Maybe this photo is about the contrast between childhood imagination and the solid reality of the adult world. It feels connected to the work of other photographers who captured the everyday moments of family life like Sally Mann. Ultimately, it is a testament to how artists can transform the ordinary into something extraordinary, giving us a glimpse into another time, place, and state of mind.