Isabel Wachenheimer bij een stoel in de woning van de familie Wachenheimer c. 1932 - 1937

This photograph of Isabel Wachenheimer with a chair, was taken by a member of the Wachenheimer family, but we don’t know when. Photographs can feel so immediate and real, even though they capture just one moment in time, transformed into shades of grey. There’s Isabel, standing in what looks like her family’s home. Look at the way her eyes meet the camera, a tiny spark of energy held in monochrome. The family have added a cut-out border to the photograph, fixing it inside the album. The little frills around the edge act like a frame within a frame, but it's also tactile, and reminds you this is an object, something held and looked at. This image reminds me of the work of Sophie Calle, who mixes images and text to explore themes of memory and identity. Like Calle's work, this photograph shows how we use images to construct narratives, both personal and collective. It’s a beautiful, intimate record, a moment frozen in time, but full of the potential for endless stories.