Portret van twee meisjes en een jongen in klederdracht 1896 - 1920

This small photograph by C.V. Roikjer captures a portrait of two girls and a boy in traditional costume. I imagine the photographer setting up the shot, arranging the figures just so, perhaps coaxing a smile or a particular posture from them. I am drawn to the quiet stillness of the scene. What might they be thinking, these figures frozen in time? The materiality of early photography is intriguing – the way the light interacts with the chemicals, the tonal range of the image itself. It's a far cry from the instantaneous images we conjure today with our phones. Painters and photographers are all involved in capturing moments, freezing them in time, and inviting us to contemplate. We are always in conversation with each other, across decades, across centuries.