Portret van een jonge staande vrouw 1891 - 1931

This photograph, "Portret van een jonge staande vrouw" by P. Steensma, shows a young woman caught in a moment, posed but somehow also off-guard. It's the kind of image where you can almost feel the weight of the glass plate. What strikes me is the texture. It's not just about what the eye sees, but what the fingers feel. The surface of the photograph itself, that smooth, almost cool touch. The way the light catches on the subtle variations of the paper. It's like the photo is whispering secrets about the past. Look at the area around her dress, how the fabric drapes, not quite black and white but somewhere in between, holding onto shades of grey. I keep thinking about Eugène Atget, his endless cataloging of Paris. Steensma shares that same impulse to record, to preserve a fragment of reality, even if it's just a fleeting glimpse of a young woman in a dress. It's not just a picture, it's a time capsule, a little piece of history wrapped in light and shadow.