Portret van een onbekende vrouw 1891 - 1912

Here's a photograph of an unknown woman made in Amsterdam by Friedrich Carel Hisgen. It's a calling card size, and the sepia tones make you think of another era, the late 19th century. Looking at her face I wonder what she was thinking at that moment when she was captured by the lens. It's like she is looking for a friend in the crowd. Her eyes are very steady, yet she is mysterious. I wonder what her story is, she seems really strong, and like she has a lot of integrity. She's there, almost like a ghost, just existing for a moment. It's amazing that the artist, Hisgen, captured this little moment of her life and then, that it is here now, to us. I can almost feel the artist next to her, both posing in the world at the same time.