Portret van een onbekende vrouw, staande naast een stoel

This photo of an unknown woman next to a chair, was made by J. Siewers & Zoon. It’s a small albumen print, kind of sepia-toned, and it feels like a snapshot into a different world. The tones are consistent in their warmth, but the variety of textures are what interest me; the softness of her dress and skin, versus the brittle construction of the chair and the more structured ruffles of her dress. Look at the chair, like a little sculpture of found branches, it's such a foil for the stiffness of the woman's posture. The way the light falls across the whole scene is so subtle, it makes the edges of everything almost disappear. It reminds me of Atget's photographs of Paris, where everything is so soft and atmospheric. This print makes me think about how photography, like painting, is about light and shadow, and how they can create a mood that's both intimate and mysterious.