Portret van een baby op een stoel c. 1904 - 1920

This small photograph by Emile Muns shows a baby lounging in a rather fancy armchair. I think of the artist in his studio, fiddling with his camera. The baby is propped up just so, and it makes me wonder, was the baby happy or fussy? The tonal range is restrained, muted, but I love how the light falls on the baby's chubby little limbs. I wonder if Muns was interested in other photographers and if they looked at each other's work to see what they were up to. The baby is giving us such a look! Are they thinking about what to have for tea, or maybe planning some mischief? I like how the tassels of the chair decoration point down, echoing the curve of the chair. Photography captures a moment, but the artists who make these images are in conversation with the future.