Echtpaar Berti Hoppe en Herman Besselaar met de hond in Plaswijck Possibly 1938 - 1939

This photo album page, Echtpaar Berti Hoppe en Herman Besselaar met de hond in Plaswijck, was created by Herman Besselaar, sometime around the middle of the twentieth century. Looking at these black and white photographs, carefully arranged and preserved, I think about memory, of course, and how we try to fix moments in time. The album feels very tender to me. Each photograph is like a tiny, rectangular world, framed by that decorative, almost lacy border. I imagine Besselaar carefully composing each shot, thinking about light and shadow, and how to best capture the essence of a moment. I wonder what Berti and Herman were thinking and feeling as they posed for these photographs. What was it like to be there, in that place, at that time? We are forever implicated in their story now. Artists do this for each other, working in conversation across time, inspiring and building upon one another's creative work.