Gezicht op een lijst met daarin een portret van Leo Tolstoi before 1902

This small reproduction of a portrait of Leo Tolstoy is part of an anonymous book about photography. It’s an odd image. Tolstoy stands in the frame of what looks like a doorway. The doorway has additional architectural decoration. The whole thing looks a bit like a shrine to this great writer. I wonder what the photographer was thinking? Were they trying to elevate Tolstoy, to represent his importance through architecture? I love the contrast between the serious intention and the end result, which is kind of clunky and absurd. This photograph reminds me of some of the awkward portraits made by early photographers, and the ways in which their creativity exceeded their technical skill, and sometimes in a charming way. Photographers are always riffing off one another's ideas, even across time. There's no such thing as originality. And this photograph is a valuable document of the history of photographic practices. It’s a moment of exchange and inspiration, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple meanings.