Portret van Richard Müller (Dresden) en Vos, wereldtentoonstelling in St. Louis (Louisiana Purchase Exposition), 1904 1904

Jan Schüller captured this photograph, "Portret van Richard Müller (Dresden) en Vos, wereldtentoonstelling in St. Louis" in 1904 with a camera, of course. It’s a small, rectangular print, sepia-toned, preserved behind glass, that makes you feel like you’re looking into the past. The creamy tones and soft focus give it a nostalgic air. The texture of the paper adds to its tactile quality. Look closely at the way Schüller has framed the two men, almost like a candid shot. It feels intimate, as if we're intruding on a private moment between friends. The soft focus on their faces adds a dreamlike quality, blurring the lines between reality and memory. Think of artists like Eugène Atget, who also documented the world around him with a keen eye for detail and a sense of poetry. Art is an ongoing conversation. There is something so evocative about old photographs that invites endless interpretations.