Hoes voor een carte-de-visite gemaakt door M.H. Laddé 1911

This is a carte-de-visite made by Machiel Hendricus Laddé, most likely in his studio in Amsterdam, where he was one of the first photographers. The whole thing is sepia. It has that brown, old-fashioned quality of early photography. I can only imagine what it must have been like to pose for a portrait like this. I can almost feel that kid’s stiff collar around his neck. He looks like he is trying to be good and still, but his eyes give him away – it's like he is holding back a smile or a grimace. The oval vignette around his head is interesting, too. It softens the edges and makes him seem like he is floating in a dream. Looking at this photo, I am reminded of the work of other photographers from that era, like Julia Margaret Cameron, who also used soft focus and dramatic lighting to create these kinds of portraits that are more about mood and feeling than about strict likeness. Photography, like painting, is all about how we see and remember each other. It is an ongoing exchange of images across time.