Echtpaar Berti Hoppe en Herman Besselaar in hun huis te Rotterdam en een overvliegende helikopter 1936

This photographic album page by Berti Hoppe shows a couple in their Rotterdam home, with an unexpected element: a helicopter. The window, a recurring motif, frames the figures. The window motif has ancient roots, from painted Roman walls to Renaissance portraiture, symbolizing both enclosure and a portal to the outside world. Consider the couple framed in their windows, juxtaposed with the image of the helicopter in flight. The helicopter, a symbol of modernity and progress, cuts through the sky. The window transforms into a proscenium arch, setting the stage for a quiet moment in their lives. The window becomes a potent symbol for the shifting boundaries between the domestic sphere and the outside world. In this seemingly simple snapshot of daily life, we see a complex interplay between the timeless human need for shelter and the relentless march of technological advancement.