Photographieën betrekking hebbende op de Bannery-Batenburg : II [i.e. 2e] ged. 1908

Here's a small book, made by Benjamin Charlé some time around the late 19th or early 20th century. It's covered in what looks like a dark, textured material. The cover is mostly black, giving it a serious, almost mysterious feel. I can imagine Charlé carefully selecting this cover, maybe thinking about the stories it would eventually hold. What was he thinking when he chose this particular material? Did he imagine people decades later, like us, looking at it and wondering about the contents within? The spine has this strip of red, like a bold statement against the dark background, a flash of color that makes you curious about what's inside. It reminds me of a deliberate brushstroke in a painting, a way to catch the eye and invite you closer. It makes you think about the weight of memories and histories, all bound together in this compact little object.