He is so much older than she, isn’t he? You can see they love one another. They are not just sitting together. She is leaning against him, her head against his temple. Though they are looking in different directions, they are as one and inhabiting a private realm of emotion. His gaze regards us but it is she who draws our attention by looking away. It is 1926 and he is content. He seems more at ease posing with Dora than alone. Without her he must clasp his hand together, unsure of how to hold himself.
More after the break.
All I can think when seeing this image is that the photographer, August Sander, must have fallen in love with Dora. This photograph is mesmerizing because of the longing it conveys. He could not bear to have her look into his lens. Again, she is looking away and because of this we do not really know what she looks like. We do not see who she is. She is not ours to behold.
