Groepsfoto van een verkleed gezelschap Possibly 1912

This is a photograph by Augusta Curiel, and you can see right away it’s a group of people dressed up in costumes. They're assembled outside, in a garden somewhere. I can imagine her setting up the shot, positioning her subjects just so. I mean, what kind of energy does that take? This is before digital photography when you just click away until you get the right shot, right? It was probably a real effort to produce this image. The way the figures arrange themselves really gives you a sense of the era. It’s formal, but at the same time, there’s a sense of fun, like they’re putting on a play or something. The range of characters they’re channeling adds to the sense of play. Curiel was a Surinamese photographer, but she also made landscape photographs, so she probably had a great eye for composition and staging. It makes me think about the way artists are always looking and learning from one another. We're always inspiring each other. It’s a beautiful thing.