Studioportret zittende vrouw met hoed en portefeuille 1910 - 1930

Bushnelf made this sepia photograph, 'Studioportret zittende vrouw met hoed en portefeuille', to make a formal portrait of a woman wearing a large hat. The approach here is about capturing an essence, a moment, and the sepia tone is a sort of emotional filter, softening the impact, like a memory. The texture is smooth, almost velvety, with soft gradations that melt from light to dark. The pleats in her dress, for example, create a series of vertical lines, leading the eye up and down. It’s in the hat that the details emerge - the feathers seem to float almost independently of the composition, like a dream. This feels metaphorical, like it is capturing a mood, an atmosphere and a time. This photograph reminds me of Julia Margaret Cameron, another photographer who embraced the soft focus of her time, though Cameron often did this accidentally! It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, full of surprises and happy accidents.