Portret van een onbekende jonge vrouw 1907 - 1914

This portrait of an unknown young woman was made by Charles Gallot in Paris. It’s a sepia photograph, that soft brown monochrome that feels so old-timey, like a memory fading at the edges. I imagine Gallot setting up his camera, adjusting the light, coaxing his subject to relax. What was she thinking? Was she nervous, excited, self-conscious? It's a formal portrait but she has a slightly mischievous glint in her eye. The ruffles around her neck, that severe but stylish updo... I'm struck by her gaze, direct and confident, even a little challenging. It's a painterly gaze, if you know what I mean. She’s meeting your eye, inviting a conversation that transcends time. She reminds me of a John Singer Sargent society portrait, those kinds of portraits, capturing a moment of grace and self-possession. Maybe we can see photography and painting as engaged in a continuing dialogue about how we capture and represent the world. I love to imagine artists in conversation across time. This photograph feels like a quiet, elegant comment on the nature of beauty, identity, and the enduring power of the gaze.