Bezoek van H.M. de koningin aan Leeuwarden 1905

This anonymous photograph captures Queen H.M.’s visit to Leeuwarden in monochrome glory. It's a process of light and shadow, capturing a moment in time, but also a mood, a feeling of the past. I'm really drawn to the texture here; the surface is smooth but you can almost feel the grain of the photographic paper. The way the light catches the horse's coat, those dapples are everything. It's not just a horse; it’s a feeling of strength and also a certain kind of softness. It reminds me of some of the early modernist photographers, like Alfred Stieglitz, who were trying to capture the essence of a subject rather than just a likeness. The ambiguity is what makes it so compelling. It's not just a picture of a queen; it's a meditation on time, memory, and the power of images.