Wednesday, May 17, 2006

the woman in this frame



"it is a joy to be hidden
and a danger not to be found."


i found (and bought) this frame in a small shop in venice. i have always loved antiques and especially loved the mystery behind the woman in this frame. i wonder if at the time this photograph was taken, if she had found true love, was she happy or sad, was she lost? did she live a long life? i know she had green eyes.

(or she might have been uncomfortable with the dress, baring her shoulders and having to hold that pose for awhile. it all depends on who was photographing.....unless she/he managed to capture her soul?...:)

24 comments:

Alina said...

She has a look that makes me feel she wasn't quite herself (maybe a bit defensive) when being photographed. She might have had quite an adventurous life or the exact opposite, a dull, by-the-book one. It is something quite interesting to think about.

junat said...

it is an interesting thought , often i think about it , that what when i am dead , will anyone even think about how i lead my life wht was my source of joy or what hurted me, our life is just so momentous . it is here now and just flows by . we hangout with friends and mayse someone else would be at the same place doing the same thing with his pals , just how varied the life is yet we mostly ignore this diversity....
we tend to relate our life to other person to predict about their lives which could very well be very opposite...

Anna Piutti said...

That is so fascinating.
I often find myself wondering about what's behind a picture (more specifically, a stranger's portrait). Actually, I often wonder about random people who cross my path during the day (bear in mind I said "wonder", not "assume").

Nabeel said...

very very interesting way you look at the picture .. and very interesting questions that you ask ..

from what I see .. she looks around 19 or so (people in the early times looked more mature compared to their age)

I think the picture was done by a photographer she didn't know .. or perhaps .. well not necessarily .. in those times .. everyone was a photographer or a painter (art was appreciated) .. and to show love and appreciation .. lovers asked their loved ones if they could paint them or picture them .. did u check if there's a poem attached to it? look in the back of the frame perhaps .. u never know :)

how do u know she has green eyes? is the picture colored .. i know she has black hair and a small little smile!

mermaid said...

I think you just did...capture a part of that soul, the way you capture so many things in your photos.

sirbarrett said...

I'd be interested to know too how you know she has green eyes. Guesser! This photograph reminds me of Victorian portraits -sketches of little children which had a morose air to them but were highly sentimental, sentimental because in those days death was common. Families would pay lots of money just to have a single picture to remember their loved ones by and pictures were kept out for display, as a proper portrayl. More than I wonder whether this woman was in love and what stage of life she was arrested in this moment, I wonder whether there was a man that was in love with this woman? Did he keep her picture and absent-mindedly look at it thinking of her, wondering when and if he'd get to see her again?

Lorena said...

i will reply to all individually but for now i just wanted to answer the green eye mystery :)...the pic is in color so that is how i know.

Anonymous said...

but it is a painting or a photo?

anyway, "wonder" is the soul of life.

gugl

gP said...

amazing isnt it when we want to know the memories of someone who left it long before. simply amazing to be alive.

Anonymous said...

its nice that you make the photo in black and white.....

she must be very beautiful with her green eyes :D

Stan said...

Another one of your lovely posts, Lorena... suits you. Ha ha.

I assume the photo was in black and white and then colorized, that is, paintwater colours added in appropriate places, like the eyes. I also assume they would have colourized her eyes green only if they really were that colour and were exceedingly beautiful.

One of the nicer things about this post is the comments it inspired. Wonderful. I think I agree with the first commentor, that she wasn't quite herself.

It's nice to see that you too like to think about the past in old photos, as I also enjoy that, and you, ahem, are one of my favourite women.

Some restaurants around here have old turn-of-the-century photos enlarged huge-size on their walls, for instance of a street scene in downtown Vancouver, with horse-drawn buggies going down the street, and all kinds of people wandering around, or taking in groups, or looking in windows, etc. Because the picture is so big, you can get right up and see the individual people, frozen in that instant, and imagine what's going on. It's lots of fun, really makes your imagination work, and takes you back so you feel like you're right there.

Devil Mood said...

You can really dream looking at old pictures and wonder, wonder...I have a bunch of old antiques postcards, written in the back with messages to loved ones...and that makes me wonder too.

gugl said...

hi, I open a new blog:-)

gugl

A.P. said...

Now you'll have to learn Italian, Lorena ;)

By the way, I love the quote below the picture; it's so simple yet so powerful and true.

{illyria} said...

how beautiful your ruminations are. you've the soul of a true romantic, lorena. piscean, indeed.

Darius said...

Mom!

Anna Piutti said...

LOL @ Darius!

Anonymous said...

Lol - I've been daydreaming about going to Italy all day. What a wonderful find!

Unknown said...

i know what you mean about liking old stuff. there is something about stuff that's been around longer than me that facinates me. i always wonder what life was around that item, be it an antique or vintage piece or an old photograph. always think, who would have thought of this items future. i know, i got too much time on my hands. :)

... said...

Looks like a one of a kind trinket, Lorena. When did those go out of style, anyway. It seems like a grand gesture to (literaly) carry someone close to your heart.

Anonymous Poet said...

Thanks for sharing this interesting little passage.

Fragmented said...

The photo is haunting and lovely, all at the same time...

Thank you for sharing Lorena, your thoughts are gems as always :)

Gel said...

What an interesting post! :D
The hunt in those shops, the mystery, and the allure.

Lorena said...

alina :: i agree, she could have been a bit defensive, uncomfortable even...thanks for sharing your thoughts :)

paddy :: i can relate. make sure you leave behind lots of journals and photographs, those help the memories live on, that and through the love of others :)

anna :: "wonder' makes life interesting :) i do that while people watching.

nabeel :: thanks for the lovely thoughts. i can imagine a whole romantic story now.....no poem found.

mermaid :: you are so sweet, thank you!! :)

sirbarrett :: such romantic thoughts....thanks :)

maddy :: thanks :) maybe she did the know the photographer...hmmm....

gugl :: i think it's a photograph.
and yes it is.

ghost particle :: yes it is! i hope one day people will have the same curiousity for us :)

eden :: thanks :)

stan :: i agree, the comments were amazing. and thanks for the compliment :)

i have to visit some of these restaurants when i go!!! i love it!! thanks for sharing.

devil mood :: the postcards sound amazing!! cool keepsakes.

gugl :: i visited. it's in italian...glad you started a blog!

anna :: i guess so -about learning italian -
glad you noticed the quote :)

transience :: yes guilty. happily :)

darius :: SERIOUSLY, could it be ?? ;) :) thanks for the laugh!!

anna :: i know, that was funny!!!!!!

jadedprimadonna :: daydream away!!

cracked chancla :: no we are alike in this sense :)

Ô¿Ô :: sounds lovely :)

anonymous poet :: glad you liked it.

travis jay morgan :: please do :)

luanne :: yeah i agree. thanks :)

jenn see :: cheers!!

green-eyed lady :: yes it was fascinating! :)