Portret van een onbekende man en vrouw met een hond c. 1895 - 1908

This photographic portrait of an unknown man and woman with a dog was made by E. v.d. Kerkhoff, probably in a studio in Arnhem. I can just imagine Kerkhoff arranging this shot. The column, the patterned backdrop, the tiny dog perched up high like some kind of ancient oracle. I wonder if the couple felt awkward, or if they enjoyed playing dress-up in that moment? There's a kind of stiffness to the whole scene, a formality that feels so distant from our own image-saturated times. It’s kind of perfect, and there's a strange beauty in its old-world charm. It makes me think about how we all try to freeze a moment, to capture something that feels meaningful, even if we don't quite know why.