Publiek tijdens een tenniswedstrijd in Noordwijk, waaronder Suze Paut, Jan Roweney [?], Ada Bloem, Pollie van Schuyllenburgh, Willy Onnen, Richard Füßermann [?], Martin Zwart en Winnie Oksde [?] 1913

Curator: Looking at this photograph titled, Publiek tijdens een tenniswedstrijd in Noordwijk, taken in 1913 by an anonymous photographer, I’m immediately struck by its intimacy and its record of everyday life. Editor: Yes, my first impression is one of immense detail despite its diminutive size and monochromatic palette. The various figures really invite my focus. The texture also pulls my gaze in different directions. Curator: Indeed. It is a gelatin-silver print capturing the spectators at a tennis match in Noordwijk. We see an interesting cross-section of society, presumably the wealthier class given their attendance at a leisure event. It really offers insight into the social dynamics and class structures of the time. Notice too the inscriptions surrounding the photograph which seem to indicate the names of individuals included. Editor: From a formal perspective, the composition, broken into several smaller scenes creates a unique narrative across a single photographic plane. Note too how the different sizes and placements create a type of hierarchy among them all. What meaning can we infer, for example, by how the top photos are oriented, or scaled in relation to the rest? Curator: The casual snapshot quality gives a unique candid view of individuals within that particular space and time. There’s a modernist impulse too, perhaps an unconscious one. Think about the representation of women, for instance. How might this contribute to discussions around gender and representation in the early 20th century? Editor: True, but I cannot dismiss the compositional choices at work here. I see echoes of impressionism, the way the light is treated and the blurring of the lines… the artist used an extremely rudimentary technology, but creates an emotive work of layered forms, depths and tones. Curator: Precisely, and by thinking about these visual aspects of form through both the social and cultural history, it broadens the depth and provides us a truly multifaceted vision. Editor: In sum, the seemingly mundane photographs give us the framework for greater and more sustained dialogues, especially concerning issues such as class, leisure, and identity.