Militaire begrafenis en diverse onderwerpen 1940 - 1943

This page of black and white photographs with the title, Militaire begrafenis en diverse onderwerpen, found in the Rijksmuseum, has no known maker or date, but the rough edges and muted tones suggest that it’s from another time. Looking at the composition of this page I see a sort of visual diary of everyday life, a mix of solemn and mundane subjects. The images are like snapshots, each capturing a moment in time. I’m drawn to the image of the child in uniform, who looks both proud and vulnerable. The high contrast in the photograph makes the child seem very stark against the dark background. What strikes me is the relationship between the images; the military subjects are mixed with civilian images, suggesting a close relationship between conflict and everyday life. This layout reminds me of the work of collage artists such as Hannah Höch, who combined found images to create fragmented narratives. The arrangement of images on this page, however, leaves room for the imagination. It allows us to piece together our own story of what these images might mean and what they might represent.