Kinderen in de tuin 1938 - 1939

Editor: This is a page from an album entitled 'Children in the Garden', dating from 1938-1939, medium albumen print. It contains multiple snapshots, genre-painting, and portraits and the whole scene is pretty charming. What grabs you most about this album page? Curator: You know, what sings to me is the intimate nature of these captured moments. These aren't posed, stiff portraits, but little slices of life unfolding in a garden setting. And, dare I say, the album format— the materiality— it’s a narrative of someone compiling memories as they saw them happen. It’s almost like holding someone's story in your hands. It is hard to really determine though, if this scene actually unfolded, or whether this family created it on purpose... What do you make of that? Editor: Hmmm...I see what you mean, about the carefully curated feel. But then look at some other shots that seems more immediate, like the one with a child playing near a horse! That element of naturalism really stands out to me, making the art more genuine. What does this balance evoke for you? Curator: I love that you zoomed into that particular frame! To me it paints a lovely tableau— I could almost hear the child's laughter mingling with the rustling leaves. Ultimately though, all these images blend to give one an insight into the life of this colonial-era family from the Dutch East Indies. Editor: Yes, now that you point it out, it truly becomes more evocative to appreciate and learn of that historical time through those everyday pictures!