Groepsportret van acht kinderen 1908 - 1914

This vintage stereo card by E. ten Cate shows a group portrait of eight children who are arranged on a ladder in a forest. The card is made from two almost identical photographs placed side by side, creating a 3D effect when viewed through a stereoscope. I imagine Ten Cate carefully composing this shot, arranging the children on the ladder, their faces a mix of curiosity and slight unease. The children are close together on the ladder which makes me think of the precariousness of childhood friendships. And, of course, children playing in the woods, building tree houses – it's about their imaginations, their games. The monochrome palette gives the whole scene a timeless, ethereal feel, like a memory half-forgotten, half-recalled. There's a sense of the artist capturing not just a moment, but the essence of childhood itself. It reminds me of those early photographers experimenting with light and form, trying to freeze a moment in time. Artists are always in dialogue with one another, aren’t they?