Meisje in klederdracht op de kade in de haven van Volendam before 1915

This photograph shows a girl in traditional dress sitting on a quay in Volendam harbour, and was made by an unknown photographer at an unknown date. It's all sepia tones, and has a kind of softness to it, like a half remembered dream. The girl is the focal point. Her dark dress and bonnet contrast with the lighter tones of the quay and the water behind her. The texture of the photograph is interesting, because it looks like it’s been printed on textured paper, which gives a tactile quality. Look closely at the way the light catches the ripples on the water, each one distinct but part of a larger pattern. It reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s paintings, where he blurs the image to create a sense of distance and memory. Like Richter, the artist embraces ambiguity, letting the image speak in whispers rather than shouts. It feels like a conversation across time, an echo of a moment captured and preserved.