Zes foto's van sneeuw in Hilversum en leden van de familie Onnen in de tuin, Hilversum Possibly 1910 - 1927

Editor: This is a fascinating page from a photo album, titled "Zes foto's van sneeuw in Hilversum en leden van de familie Onnen in de tuin, Hilversum," possibly from 1910 to 1927, made with gelatin silver prints. The faded sepia tones give it a ghostly feel, like glimpsing into a distant memory. What stories do you think these images are trying to tell us? Curator: Look closer; see how the snow-laden landscapes contrast with the sunlit garden scenes, all images capturing the Onnen family? Note the symbolic resonance here – the garden, a locus amoenus or refuge from harsh realities in literature, then juxtaposed with wintry landscapes. Winter suggests introspection, but here they are together, within the album as a cultural record and memory prompt. Can you decode any recurring gestures? Editor: I notice several figures seem to be deliberately posing, looking directly at the camera in June of 1910 but perhaps it is January in the landscape, which is in black and white? How did seasonal references resonate with their lives? Curator: Seasonal change in imagery frequently conveys transitions in human experience. Given that family albums often present an idealized past, do these pictures reveal anxieties or offer assurances for an audience back then? It's about the symbols embedded by each photo and how collective experience is processed. What impact is suggested in these personal narratives from so long ago? Editor: Thinking about how curated these photos feel makes me wonder what the family intended to communicate by juxtaposing snowy and garden scenes in a single page? Thanks! That’s a great framework. Curator: These images can still resonate if you ask yourself: what parts of human life have carried through to our current culture and our own image-making as well.