Foto c. 1895 - 1925

This is a photographic negative made by W.G. Hondius van den Broek, and looking at it is like stepping into a ghostly alternate reality. I’m imagining him setting up the shot, fiddling with the light, maybe thinking about how to capture not just the man's appearance, but something of his essence too. The composition has got some interesting stuff going on with the man framed by the chair and the room’s interior. I’m always curious about what's hanging on the wall. Photography is a conversation across time. Just like in painting there's an exchange of ideas, the photographer takes cues from what's come before while trying to say something new. And for the viewer? Well, the photograph is an invitation to participate in that exchange. It's about embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, letting the image speak to us in different ways, and finding new meanings within it.