Isabel Wachenheimer voor een kinderwagen en met een pop in haar armen, april-mei 1935, Stuttgart Possibly 1935

This photograph was taken in Stuttgart, Germany, sometime in April or May of 1935, by an unknown photographer. The silvery blacks and greys set the tone here. It’s not about making the image pristine or perfect, but about capturing a sense of time. You can see how the light catches the edge of the white, lace-trimmed pram, highlighting the textures, the layering. I keep coming back to the doll that the girl holds. The doll's head tilts to the side and its eyes are closed or cast downwards. The girl's grip on the doll is strong, protective maybe. It gives me a feeling for the intimacy of this moment. The composition is so simple, but these small details, the angle of the head, the grip on the doll, gives the image such great depth, makes it so evocative. It reminds me a little of the quiet intimacy in some of the photographs by Emmet Gowin. Of course, this image is very different, but both artists are really interested in how a photograph can hold and transmit the essence of an experience.