Portret van een zittende jonge vrouw 1900 - 1920

This is an old photograph of a seated woman, captured by Hellis & Sons. Look at the sepia tones, almost bleached out in places. You can feel time passing. I wonder what kind of equipment they were using, and how long it took to pose for this kind of image. I love to imagine the process of making—the dark room, the mixing of chemicals, the anticipation of seeing the image emerge. This woman’s gaze is fixed, her posture formal. Did she feel self-conscious, trapped, or was she in on the game? Photography is a kind of performance, a collaboration between the subject and the photographer. The choices they made then continue to shape the way we see this moment in time. Photography is a powerful medium, allowing for continuous exchange and evolution, and shaping each other's work across decades.