Toehoorders bij de openingsrede van T.J. Verschuur Possibly 1935

This snapshot of ‘Listeners at the opening speech of T.J. Verschuur’ by an anonymous photographer shows a crowd of people gathered in what looks like a temporary structure. I think of the photographer, in that moment, feeling the weight of the camera, positioning themselves just so, to capture the scene. What were they hoping to convey? There’s a stillness to the image, but also a sense of being there, in that space. I wonder what the speaker was saying? There’s so much pattern here, the stripes behind the speaker, the flower dresses, and the tablecloths in the foreground, that it has a real texture and depth. The eye travels across the surface, constructing a sense of place and time. It’s a scene of quiet contemplation. It's funny how the whole setting feels very staged, especially the table full of flowers. They feel so carefully arranged, almost as if they are performing, too.