Groepsportret van een man, een vrouw en twee kinderen bij een waterput 1874

This sepia photograph captures a family grouped around a well, an ordinary moment frozen in time. Yet, within this scene, the well emerges as a potent symbol, its meaning rippling through the ages. Consider the well, historically a source of life, sustenance, and community gathering. Throughout countless cultures, from ancient Greece to the present day, wells and springs are sacred places associated with healing, purification, and connection to the earth. The act of drawing water, a daily ritual, transforms into a profound gesture, linking humanity to its most basic needs. The well's cyclical nature – drawing from the depths and replenishing life – mirrors our own emotional and psychological cycles. It embodies the constant flow between conscious and unconscious realms, evoking primal memories of our shared past.