The original photo had been so terribly damaged from age and exposure to light, and even technological preservation and restoration did little to fix back the wear of time. Yet this photo of an unidentified figure still astonished people, and the composition of the image only brought in more questions.
Who was this person?
Why was this photo taken?
Why was their back turned?
The time period had to have been before color photography, but in that age, anything depicting nudity or sex was seen as sacrilegious, and it was even punishable to possess anything of the sort, let alone even make it.
The second thing was the tattoo, ink on her exposed back turned into blossoming flowers. Even tattoos carried heavy social stigma, and the person with this tattoo had seemingly no care about the potential outcry they might have wrought. Were they caught, there would have been a dearth of chances to find work, or even residence in a large number of cities. Tattoos were figuratively and literally a brand, marking these people as outcasts.
But this person, with such exquisite body art on their back, and photographed so professionally; one could only begin to wonder what truly happened so long ago.
Was this person still alive?
Were they now a parent?
Who even was the photographer?
Scholars could continue to debate, and the artisans could go on with their interpretations. But this photograph had undoubtedly become an exceptional point in the making of history, representing bravery, a desire to pursue an idea, even if society and culture forbade so. In that time, this would have been a heinous crime, viewed as uncoth, barbaric even, but now in modern day, it evokes curiousity, interest, inspiration, and captivating eyes all about.
Perhaps the photo instead, serves as a reflection of the world and its opinions and beliefs.
