Tak met bloemen c. 1900 - 1930

This photograph, ‘Tak met bloemen’ by Richard Tepe, captures a floral study in tones of sepia and cream. The beauty of this image lies in its stillness, the way the light seems to pause on the delicate petals. I wonder what kind of camera Tepe used, and whether he built it himself? There’s something fascinating about how photographs from this era can feel so immediate, while still being totally rooted in a different time. Here, the creamy white blooms seem to push forward from the brown, almost velvety, background. The sepia tone of the photograph gives the flowers a ghostly quality, as if they are both present and absent. The composition is sparse and clean. It reminds me a little of the photographs by Karl Blossfeldt, who was active around the same time, documenting plants with such curiosity and attention. Both invite us to see the world a little differently.