Charlotte Matthes-Doorman met haar zoon August en twee kleinkinderen Eva en Hetty Boelen bij Villa Eperheem in Epe - Charlotte Alida Boelen-Matthes

An archival page from a family album featuring three gelatin silver prints of the Boelen-Matthes family at Villa Eperheem.

This archival document presents a page from a personal photograph album, capturing domestic life in the early twentieth century. The page features three distinct gelatin silver prints mounted on a grey-blue card, a common practice for preserving family records during this period. The upper left image shows Charlotte Matthes-Doorman standing with her son August and two granddaughters, Eva and Hetty Boelen, outside Villa Eperheem in Epe. The upper right image depicts the same family members on the terrace of the residence, while the lower image provides a view of a wooded area, likely near the estate.

These photographs offer a glimpse into the private sphere of a Dutch family. The composition of the snapshots reflects the informal nature of amateur photography, where the focus is on documenting personal connections and the environment of the family home. The inclusion of handwritten annotations beneath each photograph provides context, identifying the individuals and the location. The architectural details of Villa Eperheem, visible in the upper images, suggest a comfortable, middle-class lifestyle typical of the era. The contrast between the structured family portraits and the solitary view of the forest creates a narrative of leisure and domestic stability. As a historical artefact, this page preserves the visual memory of the Boelen-Matthes family, documenting their interactions and their surroundings. The preservation of such albums allows for an examination of social history, personal identity, and the role of photography in maintaining family ties. The muted tones of the prints and the weathered texture of the album page contribute to the sense of historical distance, inviting the viewer to consider the lives of those captured within the frame.