Portret van een onbekend meisje in een communiejurk c. 1901 - 1909

This small photograph depicts an unknown girl dressed for her first holy communion, and was shot by Jan Frederik Rienks. It's sepia toned, which gives it a sense of faded memory. I wonder about this child, frozen in time. What was it like to be her in that moment? The dress is so white, so pristine, and I can only imagine how stiff it must have felt. She is so proper! That soft light, the way it gently wraps around the girl, almost feels like a veil itself. And I can't help but think about how the photographer coaxed her into this pose, maybe even promised her something sweet afterwards. Like a painter mixing pigments to evoke a mood, Rienks worked with light and shadow to capture this moment in time. Photography, like painting, is about capturing time, but also freezing it. It’s a conversation, and photographers like Rienks set the stage for so many artists who came after. They help us see the world in new ways.