Vrouw en kind bij een boom 1912 - 1913

Carolina Onnen, born in 1896, made this photograph, Vrouw en kind bij een boom (Woman and child by a tree), which translates to Woman and child by a tree. The composition is simple, almost dreamlike: A woman stands close to a large tree, perhaps touching it, while a little girl gazes upwards. You can sense the quietness of the scene, the light is soft, and the tones are warm. I wonder what Carolina was thinking when she took this photo? Was she exploring the relationship between humans and nature? Was she interested in capturing the innocence of childhood, or the bond between mother and child? Maybe she was simply drawn to the aesthetic possibilities of the scene, the way the light fell on the leaves, the textures of the tree bark. What I like about it is the mystery; it invites you to imagine your own story.