Portret van Beatrix, koningin der Nederlanden 1939 - 1941

This is a black and white photograph of Beatrix, Queen of the Netherlands, made by an anonymous photographer. It's hard to pin down exactly when it was made, but it presents us with an innocent scene. The photo has a lovely tonality, with deep blacks and bright whites. It's a study in contrasts, right down to the little Queen's outfit. It feels really immediate, like a snapshot lifted straight from life. It's also a bit grainy and the lighting is uneven, but in a way, that's what makes it so intimate. That dark patch on her face, right where her fingers are, is fascinating. It makes me think about how we remember things, how the details can get smudged or obscured over time. There is something very human about that uncertainty, about the way the photo doesn't try to hide its own imperfections. It reminds me of some of those early photos by someone like Julia Margaret Cameron who embraced the blur.