Twee groepsportretten van Greet en Lien Lapp met twee kinderen van B.S. Rairden, in een vijver, Wanasari 1909

Carolina Onnen captured these group portraits of Greet and Lien Lapp with two children of B.S. Rairden in Wanasari, likely with a camera, sometime around 1909. There’s this soft, hazy quality to the photographs, like memory itself, muted tones with a touch of nostalgia. I love how the reflections in the water create this blurred, dreamlike effect. It's all about texture here, the way the light catches the surface of the water, the rough foliage, and the smooth, simple dresses of the figures. Look how the dark vegetation on the right contrasts with the open expanse of the pond. It creates a really nice balance, and draws your eye into the scene. It feels like you could almost step right into this watery world. It makes me think of someone like Julia Margaret Cameron, who also experimented with soft focus and atmospheric effects to create these really ethereal portraits. Ultimately, it reminds us that art, in any form, is about capturing a moment, an emotion, a feeling, rather than just documenting reality.