Tine Kleiterp-Vermeulen en (vermoedelijk) haar kinderen Klaas en Tiny in een tuin in Pangka op Java 1921 - 1922

This photograph depicts Tine Kleiterp-Vermeulen and her children Klaas and Tiny in a garden in Pangka, Java and was taken by Klaas Kleiterp around the early 20th century. Look at the texture of this gelatin silver print – almost like you could scratch the surface and bits of the past would flake off! I can imagine the artist, probably also the father, carefully framing his wife and children in this tropical garden. What was he thinking as he pressed the shutter? Was he trying to freeze a perfect moment, or just capture a slice of their life in Java? The light seems soft, diffused, casting gentle shadows that define the forms. I'm thinking about how the act of photography allowed Klaas to explore ideas of family and identity. It's a window into a world, capturing a moment in time, while reminding us that memory is fragile, and that every artist is in conversation with their own experiences.