Gezicht op de groenteveiling in Zwijndrecht c. 1903 - 1910

This little photograph, Gezicht op de groenteveiling in Zwijndrecht, captures a market scene probably made with a simple camera. It has that sepia tint, and the soft focus makes you feel like you’re looking into the past. What strikes me about this piece is the texture. The way the vegetables are piled high, it looks like you could reach out and touch them. I wonder, do you see how the people in the foreground are more defined than the others? It’s like the artist is saying, “These are the ones who matter.” I wonder what they're thinking? I like to think that the artist, G. Hidderley, saw a narrative playing out in that market square. It reminds me a little of Gustave Caillebotte, how he was also interested in the everyday. But while Caillebotte was painting the grand boulevards of Paris, Hidderley was capturing the quiet hustle of a Dutch vegetable market. It makes you think about all the stories that are hidden in plain sight, doesn’t it?