Jeanne and Regena 1917

Morton Schamberg captured this image, ‘Jeanne and Regena’, in Philadelphia, sometime before his untimely death in 1918. Here, photography feels like a quiet and careful act of witnessing. It is an intimate yet formal portrait of two women together, the older woman's gaze direct and strong, in contrast to the soft, wistful expression of the younger woman, who rests her head tenderly on the other's shoulder. I can imagine Schamberg carefully adjusting the light, coaxing out the subtle gradations of tone. There's a softness to the image, a gentleness in the way he captures the details—the delicate chain around Jeanne’s neck, the patterned fabric of Regena’s dress, and the almost haunting similarity in their eyes. It’s as though Schamberg is looking for something in their faces, trying to freeze time, to capture their essence and his own place in their fleeting existence. Photography, like painting, allows us to pause, reflect, and connect across time. We can see the conversation between past, present, and future, and what it means to be human.