Portret van Wilhelmina en Dootje van Zijll de Jong met een andere vrouw 1934 - 1935

This small photographic print captures Wilhelmina and Dootje van Zijll de Jong alongside another woman. The image, crafted without a known date or artist, presents a study in tonal contrast and human connection. The image surface is smooth, obscuring the details of its making. However, the way the light falls across the brickwork in the background and the women’s dresses, reveals the textural qualities inherent in their clothes. Note how the middle figure's dress is a block of colour, compared to the dress on the right, where the surface fizzes with spotted detail, or the dress on the left, with its floral motif and softer fabric. The women stand close, their arms gently linked, and the gesture that connects them becomes a focal point. You can almost feel the subtle pressure of the woman on the right's hand, and this shared moment of contact adds a layer of emotional depth. It reminds me of the social realism of Paula Modersohn-Becker. Just as in Becker's paintings, in this anonymous photograph ambiguity lingers, inviting endless interpretations of life as an ongoing conversation.