Koningin Wilhelmina loopt door een veld onder begeleiding van de veldwacht. 1912

Coenradus Hendrikus Johannes Reijers made this photograph, “Koningin Wilhelmina loopt door een veld onder begeleiding van de veldwacht” sometime in the early 20th century, and what strikes me is the way it freezes a moment in time. The tonality is muted, almost monochrome, giving it a timeless feel. The texture of the print itself is smooth, but within the image, you can almost feel the roughness of the field they are walking through. There is something very interesting in the way the figures are arranged, especially how they seem to be divided in half with Queen Wilhelmina on one side and all the common folk on the other. Reijers’ work, like that of many photographers of his time, captures a world in transition. Think of Atget, documenting the streets of Paris; there’s a similar sense of preservation here. This photograph isn't just a depiction of a queen; it’s a study of a moment, a mood, and maybe even a little bit of the Dutch spirit. Ultimately, that’s what makes art so endlessly fascinating: the layers of meaning we find within it.