Isabel Wachenheimer in gestreepte ochtendjas 1932 - 1937

This is a photograph of Isabel Wachenheimer in a striped morning coat, and it was made by an anonymous photographer. The monochrome palette here is so intriguing, and the use of black and white helps to concentrate the narrative thrust of the picture. I notice the little details, the way the light falls across Isabel’s face, the soft focus creating a dreamlike haze around the image. These are the things that draw me in, the intimate glimpse into someone else's life. The texture of the photo itself, the slight graininess, almost feels like a memory made visible. I find my eye drawn to the edges of the photograph itself, the jagged border giving it a tactile presence. What's so great about photography is that it can be both incredibly precise and incredibly ambiguous at the same time. It captures a moment in time, but it also leaves so much open to interpretation. I think about how this piece speaks to the work of someone like Gerhard Richter, in his series of black and white photographs and paintings which explore similar themes of memory, history, and the passage of time.