Breiende vrouw met kind c. 1900 - 1910

G. Hidderley made this photograph, *Breiende vrouw met kind*, which translates to *Knitting woman with child* with what must have been pretty cutting-edge technology for its time. Look at the surface, how the light falls, the way the greys deepen into almost black in the corners. The image has this incredible tonal range, from almost white to deep black. It's like a painting, the way the light is handled, almost like chiaroscuro in baroque painting. I find my eye is drawn to the textural elements, the way the light defines the folds in the clothing, the grain of the wood behind, and the knitted fabric. The way the scene is constructed, it's hard to tell if we're looking at a staged scene or a candid moment, but I like that ambiguity; it asks more questions than it answers. It makes me think of someone like Vilhelm Hammershøi, with his muted palette and domestic interiors. Photography and painting have always been in conversation, it's a kind of call and response that keeps both art forms alive.