Jeanne and Richard 1912

This photograph, Jeanne and Richard, was captured by Morton Schamberg, and what strikes me is the way he has framed these two children in what I can only describe as an 'old master' type light. There is a stillness and formality that reminds me of portraiture in painting, especially how subdued light gives such depth to their expressions. I imagine Schamberg, arranging the scene, wanting to capture something not just of their appearance, but of their inner lives. Their eyes look straight out at us with a sort of quiet intensity. It feels as if he wants to find a truth about these kids, by showing them in their sunday best, but also by letting them just *be*. It is as if Schamberg is thinking about a longer tradition of artists trying to catch something real, beyond just how things look. It shows us how artists speak to each other across time, borrowing and responding to each other's ways of seeing.