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Private Secretary

A boy, perhaps ten or twelve years old, focuses intensely on a typewriter. He types on it with his left hand, while the right writes with a big feather pen. Three other pens are tucked into the front of his cardigan.

Enoch Djupdræt: Privatsekretæren.
Enoch Djupdræt: Privatsekretæren.
Photo:
Morten Heiselberg

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The boy is wearing large round glasses, pushed down on his nose. The little hands are clearly in motion, in contrast to the concentrated silence of the rest of the figure. He looks in every way like a very busy and important secretary - but is probably not.

The photographer has had an eye for more than the amusing aspect of the motif. The horizontal stripes in the boy's knit jacket run parallel to both the typewriter, the pens, and the boy's eyebrows. The feather pen also has horizontal stripes, it is held at a different angle, creating variation in the scene.

Enoch Djupdræt (1892-1962) was educated as a naval officer, and worked for the railroad for 40 years. In addition, he ran his studio at Nesttun in Bergen from 1932 until his death. Djupdræt contributed to the establishment of the Photographer studio at the Old Bergen Museum. Djupdræts widow gave a portion of his negatives to the University of Bergen Library, and they are currently to be found in the Picture Collection.

NORA SØRENSEN VAAGE