Isabel Wachenheimer op het balkon, 1932, Stuttgart 1932 - 1938

This photograph of Isabel Wachenheimer on a balcony in Stuttgart was taken by a member of her family in 1932. The black and white print is neatly mounted in a bound album, with a window cut into each page. In its time, this photograph was a fairly conventional format for family portraits. But its material presence speaks volumes. Photography was then a relatively recent, and certainly not ubiquitous, medium. It democratized image-making, yet still required special skills and equipment. Like a quilt, or a carefully kept diary, the image is both documentation and carefully crafted memento. The presentation of the photograph within the album is equally important. It reminds us of the tactile experience of handling the photograph, the way it invites close looking and repeated returns. By considering both the image and its material context, we recognize that photography is not only about capturing a moment in time, but also about the careful curation of memory.