Photographs from the Estate of Isabel Wachenheimer 1929

This small square photograph of a baby in a cot comes from the Estate of Isabel Wachenheimer and was made at an unknown date by an anonymous photographer. I wonder about the person who took the photo and what they were thinking. Were they a parent or grandparent capturing a precious moment? Or someone else entirely, looking in at this child? I am thinking about what it is like to document a family history. The contrast in the grey tones is quite stark, but I notice the soft light on the baby’s face and on the bars of the cot. These parallel bars trap the baby, but also frame them. I wonder if this image was part of a series, a conversation between the photographer and their subject, or a one-off attempt to freeze a moment in time. I think about all the stories it could tell. It reminds me that photography, like painting, is a way to share a personal vision.